Liverpool can sign their next Sadio Mane with £78m blockbuster January transfer raid for superstar winger

Liverpool's Premier League struggles after one of the most impressive transfer windows in British history has been one of the stories of the 2025/26 season so far. Arne Slot's reigning champion Reds entered the weekend in third place, not terrible by any means, and boasting a victory over table toppers Arsenal, yet the mood around Anfield is bleak.

Following a £415 million outlay in the summer, Liverpool's six paid incoming signings have produced just 10 goals and assists (compared to a combined 106 last season) with Hugo Ekitike responsible for over half of that 2025/26 output.

A cost of £41.5m for every goal contribution is not a great return, with the question now turning to how to unlock the full potential of such a star-studded side. It’s not just the new signings at fault either - Mohamed Salah has notched a meagre (by his standards) two goals and two assists in the Premier League compared to five each at the same stage in 2024/25.

However there is a player available in the next two transfers who could help restore some bite to the Reds’ attack - Nico Williams.

Nico Williams can emulate Sadio Mane goal threat on left flank

According to Fichajes, Liverpool not only want to sign Williams, they want to close the deal before the 2026 World Cup. And it’s not hard to see why.

Since Sadio Mane’s departure in 2022, Liverpool have leaned heavily on Salah for goals but as the Egyptian edges slowly towards his final Anfield game, they must act now to bring in a player who can reintroduce consistent scoring from the other flank.

Williams’ output so far for Athletic Club has perhaps been less than his reputation would suggest - he’s yet to score more than six goals in a league season and his 13 assists in 2023/24 remain an outlier - but it’s important to remember that he’s only just turned 23.

There’s no need to over-complicate things - Williams is already a fantastic attacker and looks set to be one of the best goal threats in the world for the next 10 years and Slot’s side need to replace their traditional scorers and creators. But are Liverpool a realistic contender for Williams?

Liverpool can win super-club battle for Nico Williams

Williams was one of the most in-demand players in the summer transfer and seemed set to leave Bilbao for Barcelona, Bayern Munich or another super club before he spectacularly u-turned and signed the longest deal in world football mind-blowing 10-year extension at the San Mames Stadium.

However, while that decade grabbed the headlines, the most important number was actually the new release clause which increased from €58m (£50m) to €90m (£78m).

Given their tighter selection criteria of only selecting Basque players, Athletic Club have a long-standing policy of only selling players when their release clause is met and they famously froze out star striker Fernando Llorente until his contract ran out after he pushed for a cut-price move to Juventus. And in that context, such a low release clause indicates Williams is unlikely to emulate his brother and remain in Bilbao into his 30s.

The whole point of a release clause is to prevent a player leaving unless another club pays a truly exorbitant amount - like PSG activating Neymar’s £200m out from Barcelona. For a more contemporary example, Rafael Leao’s release clause is reportedly €175m (£152m) and even that is apparently only active for 10 days each summer in a contract that expires in 2028.

So setting such a low fee for such a phenomenal talented, accomplished and young player suggest this new contract was simply a ploy to give Williams the chance to compete in the Champions League for his boyhood team and allow Athletic Club to cash a bigger cheque when he does leave.

And if he is to join a new club, why wouldn't it be Liverpool? While Barcelona make sense on the pitch given Williams’ relationship with Lamine Yamal and their dangerous partnership for the Spanish national team, the Catalan club already owe £138m in transfer fees dating back to 2022 to deal with before they think about signing any more superstars.

At least while Manchester United remain in the doldrums, Liverpool are the club in the biggest league in the world who have the best combination of historic prestige and recent success while Bayern Munich lack the pulling power of the Premier League and Real Madrid have neither the apparent nor the need to add yet another superstar winger to their squad.

While Bayern or Arsenal could compete for Williams, there's a very strong argument to be made that Liverpool would be the most attractive proposition of the three while the 23-year-old could complete a fearsome attacking line that would be set to revise their fading domestic and European dreams this season.