Chelsea to make ‘huge’ offer for Euro 2024 star with swap deal mooted
Chelsea are big admirers of Spain star Nico Williams
Chelsea have made signing a new winger one of their priorities for the transfer window and Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams is top of their shortlist.
The 21-year-old is reportedly the player the Blues are targeting after missing out on Michael Olise, who is set to join Bayern Munich despite unexpected delays in his transfer.
Williams, who scored a fantastic goal for Spain in their Euro 2024 Round of 16 win over Georgia on Sunday, is attracting the interest of several clubs given he can be signed for €58m (£49.2m) this summer.
That is due to a release clause in his contract and reports suggest that the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona have made enquiries about a deal.
According to reports from Spain, Chelsea have just ‘made their first move in the race’ and are prepared to offer £25m plus an unnamed player in a part-exchange deal for Williams.
It’s worth noting though that Athletic Bilbao have a Basque-only transfer policy – meaning they only sign players from the region.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is the only player who would fit into that category but Bilbao already have an excellent shot-stopper in Unai Simon.
It therefore seems unlikely the Blues will be able to sign Williams with a swap deal and they’ll have to pay his release clause in full to bring him in.
Chelsea to offer Nico Williams a ridiculous salary
While Williams constantly reiterates in interviews how happy is at Bilbao, that hasn’t stopped Chelsea trying to convince him to ditch the LaLiga side.
A report from Spanish outlet Sport claims that the Blues are set to offer Williams €15-20m in terms of salary – which could give him a staggering weekly wage of over £320,000.
That is why Chelsea believe they have a ‘good chance’ of signing the youngster, as that would that would more than double his current €7.8m annual salary – something his other suitors Barcelona will be unable to do.
Williams would therefore become Chelsea’s second-highest earner behind Raheem Sterling, who currently earns £325,000 per week.
It remains to be seen whether there is any substance to these claims but we know that the London club have a history of spending huge sums in order to get what they want.
That may be more difficult now though while they’re under the microscope of the Premier League and must adhere to the profit and sustainability rules in order to avoid points deductions.
There is no doubt that Chelsea are big admirers of Williams, along with Arsenal and Barcelona, so it will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming weeks.
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