Last week, we saw the emergence of a story in England that claimed Chelsea, a bit shorter on funds than in previous years, were turning their attention to Nico Williams to bolster their attack.
The Athletic Bilbao star has a release clause in his contract worth €50m, and that was seen as more affordable than the €130m expected to be needed to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
Well, the news of Chelsea’s alleged interest spread quickly, even reaching those at the LaLiga side, who recently announced they would be bringing in Álvaro Djaló from SC Braga, but it was made very clear by Mikel González, their director of football, that the arrival of the 24-year-old did not mean the exit of Williams, as relayed by AS.
He said: “The arrival of Djaló has nothing to do with Nico. We renewed him for three years, we see him super happy. He wants more and wants to play in Europe. It has nothing to do with it.”
Whether Williams does end up staying in Bilbao next year will likely depend on who comes knocking, but it has been made clear that having European football would be necessary.
With his club currently in fifth, 10 points clear of sixth, that is something that will most likely be happening next season at Athletic, with the only question being whether it is in the Champions League or the Europa League.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will find themselves hard pressed to qualify for a European competition unless there is a drastic turnaround in their form, currently sitting 11th in the Premier League.
