Chelsea view Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams as their ‘dream’ transfer target for the summer window, according to reports.
Williams, one of Europe’s hottest prospects, is believed to have a €58 million (£49m) release clause in his current deal with the La Liga side.
The 22-year-old, who has conjured up five goals and five assists across 28 Spanish top-flight games this season, has been strongly linked to Arsenal.
The Gunners, though, must now battle Chelsea for his signature at the end of the season, football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed.
Chelsea are also looking at Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens but Williams appears to be their No.1 priority.
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‘Chelsea are surely looking for a new winger to bring in soon,’ Romano wrote in his Give Me Sport column.
‘Rogers is one of the players they appreciate, perfect in terms of age and skills. He’s considered similar to Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens who [is] high on the list along with dream target Nico Williams.’
Chelsea could face somewhat of a stumbling block over a move for Williams, though, given his eye-watering wage demands.
Williams’ representatives are reported to be demanding a deal worth around £400,000 a week, which would make him the highest earner at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s transfer approach under the ownership of BlueCo has been to recruit young players on lower wages over long-term contracts, with agreements to give them significant pay rises if certain conditions are met.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde is hopeful that Williams will stay at the club for many years yet, despite the increasing speculation over his future.
‘He has had a very good season and there has been some speculation,’ Valverde said on Wednesday.
‘We hope that he is with us next season and for many years because we want to have the best players.’
Williams, who came through Athletic Bilbao’s academy, is under contract at the club until the summer of 2027.
The Spain international has remained loyal to his Basque routes thus far and is dreaming of Europa League glory with Athletic Bilbao this term.
Athletic Bilbao host Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final showdown tonight (Thursday, May 1).
‘Everyone dreams of playing European games,’ Williams said ahead of the match.
‘Lifting the trophy in San Mames – every kid dreams of that – and now is a very good opportunity to write history. Hopefully we can get there, but the dream is never ending.’