Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay Nico Williams’ release clause at Atletic Bilbao after the Spanish winger quickly became one of the biggest stars at Euro 2024 with his displays against Italy and Croatia.
Williams, 21, has attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs after a successful La Liga season ensured he is one of the first names on the Spanish teamsheet in Germany this summer.
And Chelsea are moving quickly to get over the bruising discovery that Michael Olise has turned down the chance to remain in the English top flight, with the Crystal Palace winger on the verge of completing a £50million move to Bayern Munich instead.
Di Marzio claim that Chelsea have reacted by pushing hard for Williams, who operates on the left flank in a direct contrast to Olise, but they are insisting on finding an agreement with Bilbao swiftly to bolster Enzo Maresca’s squad for the coming season.
The Spanish club have been firm in their stance that Williams will not leave for any figure lower than his £47m release clause, as they have no desire to let him leave.
“Nico is happy in Bilbao and at Athletic and we’re very happy with Nico,” club president Jon Uriarte said this week. “We don’t worry about or pay attention to rumours. We’re focused on creating an attractive project for all our players, fighting for titles and competing in Europe.”
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