Chelsea would have to pay winger £200,000 a week just to match his current wage

Matt Law’s report that Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams is on Chelsea’s transfer list is certainly creating some interesting buzz this afternoon.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone – we’re clearly watching every top player in Europe in their early 20s, and Williams is outstanding in that category.

It’s just a pity we didn’t move for him a year ago instead of splashing the cash on Mykhailo Mudryk.

Law mentions a £43m release clause for the 21 year old, but things are likely to be more complicated than that. Athletic Club famously only use Basque players, meaning their transfer outgoings each year are minimal. This gives them the chance to spend massive money on wages, and Law reports that Williams is on £100,000 a week after tax. 

That would mean Chelsea would have to pay something like £200,000 just to match his current take home pay. Assuming the winger wants a raise, we could be talking about £250,000 a week at least.

That would smash our wage structure, and may rule us out of the race.