Nico Williams' wages could decide Liverpool transfer fate with unique backstory

Liverpool's pursuit of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams might be decided by whether they want to meet the Spanish winger's bumper wage packet.

The flying Spanish international has arguably been the player of the tournament so far at EURO 2024 and has been linked with a host of clubs across Europe including Liverpool.

Williams bagged a goal and an assist in Spain's 4-1 round of 16 win over Georgia, setting up a mouthwatering tie with Germany on Friday. It has been widely reported the 21-year-old has a $62m (£49m/€57m) release fee clause in his contract which would need to be payed upfront, rather than in instalments, likely proving a stumbling block for some clubs.

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Then there's the factor of Williams' wages. The Athletic winger earns a reported $216,000-per-week (£170k/€200k) packet, which could potentially cause some wage structure headaches.

And the reason for that bumper wage packet is because of the Basque player policy the club operates. Since 1912, Athletic has only fielded Basque players, meaning they cannot go out and spend millions on new players every summer.

The big-money sales of Aymeric Laporte, Javi Martinez, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ander Herrera have ensured sustainablity, whilst also allowing the club to retain their other stars on high wages.

But while Williams looks to be the real deal, capable of playing on either flank at a high-level, clubs may be unsure on spending such a huge amount on a player with just 20 goals in 122 appearances. They may want to see if he can continue his development and try again next summer.

Of course, the risk would be he enjoys a strong season next term too, allowing the hype around the winger to build even more. Additionally, Williams looks to be happy at Athletic.

This past season he helped them secure their first Copa del Rey title since 1984 when they defeated Mallorca on penalties at La Cartuja. There's also the factor that Athletic will be playing in the Europa League next season too after finishing fifth in La Liga - the first time the Basque side have featured in Europe since 2018.

And then finally, there is the factor of being able to play alongside his brother, Inaki Williams at the San Mames, something which is a source of immense pride to the Athletic pair.