Chelsea are still reeling from their bitter loss in the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool and are trying to finish the season strong by improving their Premier League form and pushing for the FA Cup title. Amid this, they seem to have a new-found interest in possibly signing a winger in the summer in Spain international Nico Williams.
The Telegraph’s Matt Law claims that the Blues have the Athletic Bilbao winger on their transfer radar as the club starts setting up plans for the summer window. It is added that the London heavyweights have been impressed with how well Williams has progressed this season, but that signing an out-an-out centre-forward remains the priority.
Law states that because of the probability of how expensive signing a striker can be, Chelsea’s hopes to potentially make a move for the Spanish winger depends on whether they can generate funds from successfully selling unwanted players. Only after doing this can the London side make a push for Williams’ signing and the 21-year-old is rumoured to have a £43 million release clause in his contract.
However, the journalist adds that his wages are expensive and the Spaniard is believed to be earning well over £100,000-a-week, which would place him among the highest-earning players at Stamford Bridge. Even though the 21-year-old signed a new contract with Bilbao earlier this season, that is unlikely to stop any interested club from making a potential move to sign him in the summer.
Williams is enjoying a prolific season with the La Liga club, having scored six goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions and helping them reach the Copa Del Rey final too. He is versatile enough to be able to play in either the right-wing or left-wing but is mostly operating on the latter for this campaign.
The 21-year-old is blessed with blistering speed and ability to outwit defenders with his movement. He’s also developed a special final product, being able to find the forwards with pinpoint crosses and passes, while also being able to finish off moves clinically.
The Spaniard, who has been hailed as “exciting” for his playing style, has also made 11 appearances in his career for Spain and scored two goals. For now, it remains to be seen if Chelsea can make a move for him in the summer, but they definitely seem to have an interest.
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