Thursday's transfer gossip has landed with a thud and there is plenty to get your teeth into. Arsenal are reportedly in the hunt for Nico Williams, the Athletic Club winger who lit up Euro 2024 alongside his brother Inaki and caught the eye of pretty much every major club in Europe. That is not an exaggeration either — the lad is electric.
Arsenal fans will be buzzing at this one, and fair enough too. Williams is exactly the kind of forward Mikel Arteta would love to get his hands on. He is direct, rapid, and carries the ball with a confidence that makes defenders look silly on a regular basis. Whether Arsenal can actually get the deal done is another matter entirely, because Athletic Club are notoriously difficult to negotiate with and Williams himself has spoken about his love for the club. This one could drag on all summer.
Meanwhile, Juventus have apparently opened talks with Aston Villa over a deal for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Now this is an interesting one. Martinez has been nothing short of brilliant since joining Villa and is coming off the back of a World Cup winner's medal with Argentina. Juventus clearly want a top-class keeper, but convincing Villa to sell will not be easy, and you would imagine Martinez himself is pretty comfortable in Birmingham right now. Stranger things have happened though.
Over in France, Paris St-Germain are chasing Bayern Munich's Michael Olise. The French giants are clearly rebuilding after losing Kylian Mbappe and Olise, who had a brilliant debut season at Bayern, is exactly the kind of exciting, skilful attacker they are looking to bring in. Bayern will not want to lose him so quickly, but PSG have the financial muscle to make life complicated for any club.
Three big stories, three deals that could genuinely reshape those clubs heading into next season. As a United fan, watching Arsenal potentially land Williams would sting a little, not going to lie. But credit where it is due — if they pull it off, that would be a serious bit of business.
Let me know your thoughts.