July 20, (THEWILL) – Athletic Bilbao manager, Ernesto Valverde, has issued a warning to clubs interested in signing winger, Nico Williams, this summer. The 22-year-old Spanish international has attracted attention from top European sides after impressing at Euro 2024.
Williams has a €58 million release clause in his contract, which has piqued the interest of Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona. However, Valverde insists the player is happy at Athletic and does not want to leave.
“I have no doubts about Nico. He looks good and happy,” Valverde told reporters. “This year we have many challenges ahead of us and I am sure Nico will love to face them.”
The manager acknowledged there may be interest in Williams but emphasised Athletic’s desire to keep their best players. Chelsea are reportedly concerned about meeting Williams’ high wage demands, said to be around €200,000 per week.
Barcelona appears to be Williams’ preferred destination, with Spanish teammates like Pedri publicly encouraging him to join. Williams is currently on holiday after Euro 2024 and is expected to make a decision on his future before returning to Athletic on August 12.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
