Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that Spain winger Nico Williams is “showing a strong desire” to make the move from Athletic Club to the Camp Nou.

Recent reports suggest Williams has emerged as Barça’s No.1 target after Deco met with the player’s agent, Felix Tainta, last week.

“We need to strengthen in this position,” Deco told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. “As wingers, we only really have Lamine [Yamal] and Raphinha. From there, there are names coming out and it will come down to price and quality.

“Nico was there last year but for me, at that time, Dani Olmo was the priority. Now. the same as with other players, Nico is showing a strong desire to come … And if the right conditions are met in his case, we’ll definitely try to complete the deal.

“There’s a process with any signing: speaking with agents, clubs, knowing the contractual situation … Nico’s case it clear because he has a release clause. We’ve met with his agent to see what he wants and we will see if it’s possible.”

Deco told ESPN last month that Barça want to add another winger to the squad, with sources revealing Williams, Luis Díaz, Marcus Rashford and Ivan Perišić are among several candidates being considered depending on how much money is available to spend.

Barça made an effort to sign Williams, who played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 success, last summer but a lack of assurances over the player’s LaLiga registration meant the deal was not completed.

He has a release clause of around €58 million ($66.7m).

Meanwhile, Athletic Club rebuked fans who erased Williams from a players’ mural, declaring that those who “disrespect one of our own” have no place in the club’s family amid talk of his possible move to Barça.

The 22-year-old, whose image was removed with the message “Leave or stay, you’ve lost respect,” was defended by the Basque club he joined as an academy player in 2013.

“The dignity of a club is the dignity of the people who make it up and is measured by their capacity to behave in a coherent way with their own values, without falling into provocations or lowering themselves, and always holding their heads high,” the club said in a statement on Sunday.

“The dignity of a club is also reflected in the way it protects its own people. That is why those who have erased Nico’s image from artist Carlos Lopez’s mural in Barakaldo do not represent Athletic.

“And if they think they are part of this family, they should know that they are wrong: to disrespect one of our own is to disrespect Athletic itself.”

The mural, created by artist Carlos Lopez, originally featured Williams alongside his brother Inaki, who also plays for the LaLiga side. The club has contacted Lopez to help restore the younger Williams to his rightful place in the artwork.

“Behind an anonymous lack of respect, there is always someone too small to show their face,” Inaki said in a post on X.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.