Chelsea would “love” to sign Nico Williams this summer and feel “well placed” in the race for the Spain international according to The Athletic.
The Blues have been busy this summer already and have made six summer signings with Renato Veiga the latest new face through the door having completed his move from FC Basel last week.
The club are reportedly still in the market for a striker and a winger as they look to strengthen Enzo Maresca’s squad, with qualifying for the Champions League a must next season.
Chelsea would love to sign Williams
Chelsea had heavily pursued Michael Olise earlier in the window but pulled out of a deal as they believed the finances involved were beyond their reach.
The Blues have been linked with Karim Adeyemi, Francisco Conceicao and Desire Doue in recent weeks, but are yet to make any concrete moves for a new winger.
The Athletic have reported that the Blues would “love” to sign Athletic Bilbao’s Williams and have carried out “long-term groundwork” on the winger.
The report adds that Chelsea have the 21-year-old high on their list of options and feel well placed, but are aware of interest from Barcelona, whilst staying in Spain appeals to Williams.
Williams had a brilliant Euros and scored in the final as Spain beat England 2-1 in Berlin, and he’s believed to have a release clause of £43m, which for a player of his quality is a bargain.
The transfer fee wouldn’t be an issue for Chelsea, but the Blues are reportedly hesitant to pay Williams’ salary, and would have to rely on the strength of their sporting project as they can’t offer Champions League football.
Marc Cucurella revealed that he had been speaking to Williams at Euro 2024 and told him to come to Chelsea, and if the Blues are going to pull off a deal they need all the help they can get.