After being contacted by Chelsea, Nico Williams is reportedly holding out for a transfer to Barcelona, according to Spanish media.
The 21-year-old, who finished the previous La Liga season with five goals and eleven assists, was Athletic Bilbao’s best player.
And because to his outstanding performances for Spain, he has taken that form into Euro 2024. This Friday, La Roja will take on Germany in their quarterfinal match.
Prior to the summer transfer window, Williams had drawn interest from a number of teams, and his achievements at Euro 2024 probably won’t have stopped them.
The winger has drawn interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona. Earlier this month, there were rumors that Mikel Arteta had designated Williams as a “preferred target” in order to bolster his offensive.
Williams’ availability has also been made easier due to the €55 million (£46.5m) release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Chelsea have made an approach for Williams through an intermediary, however, the Premier League side have been told that the winger’s preference is to join Barcelona.
The report claims that Chelsea have been advised to be patient during negotiations and that they could take advantage of Barcelona’s financial situation with the La Liga club needing to sell in order to bring new players in.
Chelsea have indicated that they are prepared to meet Williams’ release clause as well as pay the winger a signing-on fee between €15m (£12.7m) and €20m (£16.9m).
When asked about his future last week, Williams said: ‘Everything that comes from outside is good, it means I’m doing my job well. Every kid dreams of being noticed by big clubs.
‘I’m focused on doing well at the European Championship and whatever comes after that I’ll find out because these days I’m totally disconnected.’
In an interview with Sport last week, Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal made it clear that he is keen to see Williams join him at Camp Nou.
‘We get along very well, and you can see that on the pitch too, that we are very close, that we are very good friends, and that is the most important thing to have the connection on the pitch,’ Yamal said.
‘I wish Nico could come to Barca.’