Premier League sides Chelsea and Aston Villa along with FC Barcelona have a firm interest in Athletic Club’s Nico Williams but if 90Min’s report is true then all three are likely to back off in the coming weeks.
Williams has caught the attention of all the major European clubs with his performances this season and his €50 million release clause is something that all three clubs are more than happy to trigger.
However, as per the reports, Villa and Chelsea have been put off by his major wage demands and the two English clubs might decide to back off. Obviously, if Chelsea and Villa feel that he’s demanding too much then Barcelona cannot even think of matching his demands, given their poor financial conditions right now.
While the exact numbers have not been revealed, he currently earns around €200,000 per week at Bilbao so he is definitely demanding a lot more than his current wages.
Should Barcelona, Villa and Chelsea give up their chase for Nico Williams?
Nico Williams is a product of the Bilbao academy and over the three seasons, he has been a consistent figure for the first team. Last season, he featured in 43 games across all competitions and this campaign, he has clocked up four goals and 10 assists in 28 La Liga appearances.
The €50 million release clause has tied Bilbao’s hands but if Williams is not ready to lower his demands then it’s highly unlikely that one of the interested clubs will come for him.
Villa had tried and failed to sign him last summer and if he is demanding around €300,000 to 350,000 per week then there’s no way Unai Emery’s side can afford him time as well. Their current highest earners in the squad earn €175,000 per week and the last thing the Villa Park outfit will want is to pay double to a 21-year-old.
Chelsea, on the other hand, can afford to pay such wages but they already have Mudryk and Raheem Sterling who play out the left wing and even Nkunku can play in that position so it makes no sense to pay premium wages for someone who has played less than 100 games in the La Liga.
Lastly, Barcelona are also interested in Nico Williams but whether they want him badly or not, the Catalans just cannot afford to meet his demands. Barcelona are planning to get back to the 1:1 rule where they will have to generate every penny they spend and in such a scenario, there are far more important targets for Xavi than Nico Williams. If Barca can gather funds, they would much rather spend it on signing players like Bernardo Silva and Darwin Nunez.
Nico Williams really needs to think long and hard about his salary demands because the clubs that want him simply do not wish to inflate their wage bills next season.
