Nico Williams has been linked with a move away from Athletic Club, with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona keen on securing his signature.
Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde has spoken about the rumours surrounding Nico Williams. The former Barcelona boss is relaxed about the situation, and he feels that the Spanish international is likely to continue at his boyhood club beyond this summer.
Valverde said via 90min, “I’m calm, just like before. I know that the transfer window closes on August 31. We are going to try to improve our team and the rest of the teams will do the same.
“We already know that Nico is good, we’ll see what happens because every day something new comes out in the press and what we can’t do is let ourselves be guided by that, but simply by the things that happen.”
Nico Williams had a breakthrough season with club and country, and he contributed towards 27 goals last season. He was exceptional during this summer’s European championships as well, and he helped Spain win the tournament.
Naturally, his performances have attracted the attention of the big clubs. Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona are hoping to sign the player and it will be interesting to see if they can get the deal done.
Nico Williams has a release clause in his contract, and if the three clubs decide to come forward and pay up, the La Liga outfit will be powerless to stop the player from leaving. It remains to be seen how the situation develops.
Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona want Williams
Arsenal need more attacking quality in the final third and the 21-year-old would be a superb acquisition. He is versatile enough to operate on both flanks and he will add goals, pace, and creativity to the side. His arrival will allow Mikel Arteta to rotate his front three more often.
Arsenal will be hoping to do well in the Premier League and the Champions League next season. They need a deeper squad to do well across multiple competitions. Gabriel Jesus was quite underwhelming last season, and Nico Williams could prove to be an upgrade.
Similarly, Chelsea need more cutting edge in the final third as well. They were overly dependent on Cole Palmer last season and the England international needs more support in the attack. Someone like Williams could transform Chelsea in the final third and it remains to be seen whether the Blues are ready to break the bank for him.
Barcelona have been linked with a move for the 21 year-old as well, but they might struggle to compete with the English clubs financially. The Premier League clubs have the financial resources to pay his release clause and they will be able to offer him a lucrative contract as well.
