Nico Williams has been linked with a summer move away from Athletic Club, with Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea interested.
However, Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde remains confident of keeping Nico Williams at San Mames despite his links with Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona.
In a conversation with the media, as relayed by 90min the Athletic Club manager has revealed that Williams could continue despite the transfer links with other clubs.
“I have no doubts about Nico,” Valverde told the media. “He looks good and happy. This year we have many challenges ahead of us and I’m sure Nico will love to face them.
“He hasn’t been the only player who has had to live with rumours because the market will be open until the end of August. He’s a great player and there may be clubs who might be interested in him, but he’s happy with us and we’re happy with him. We’re counting on Nico for when he returns from the holidays.
“We aspire to have the best players and that they want to be with us. We have a year for which we are very excited. We have a very good team and if we can improve it, we will do so.”
The 22-year-old had an impressive campaign with the Spanish outfit last season, contributing towards 27 goals in all competitions. Williams followed it up with an impressive European Championships campaign with Spain as well.
Arsenal and Chelsea keen on Williams
It is not surprising that clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea are keen on him. Both clubs need to add more quality and depth to their attacking unit, and Williams would be a solid acquisition. The youngster is versatile enough to operate anywhere across the front three, and he would have added goals and creativity to the side.
The 22-year-old is still quite young, and he is only going to get better with coaching and experience pulled up His arrival would have allowed Arsenal to rest players like Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka more often. Also, he could have been an upgrade on players like Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk.
The winger is currently on €200,000-a-week wages, and the English clubs will be able to fulfil his wage demands. Meanwhile, Barcelona have been linked with the player as well, and it will be interesting to see if the Spanish giants decide to make a move for him in the coming weeks.
They need to add to their attacking unit and Williams is a proven performer in La Liga. He could settle in quickly and make an instant impact at Barcelona if he joins the club this summer. However, the Spaniard is unlikely to be a cheap acquisition. The player has a €58 million release clause in his contract, and Athletic Club are likely to demand the fee to be paid in full.
Barcelona are going through financial difficulties right now, and they will struggle to pay his release clause. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea certainly have the financial resources to pay up for him, and it remains to be seen whether they decide to trigger his buy out clause in the coming weeks.
Williams has proven himself in Spanish football, and he could be tempted to take the next step in his career. A move to the Premier League will be an interesting opportunity, and he will look to prove himself with Arsenal or Chelsea if a move materialises. However, the youngster’s heart is set on joining Barcelona instead.
