Athletic Club Chief Addresses Future of Chelsea, PSG Target Amid Barcelona Agreement Rumors | OneFootball

Barcelona reportedly have an agreement with Athletic Club’s Nico Williams over personal terms. All that’s left will be for the Catalan side to activate his €58 million release clause.

According to a recent report from CaughtOffside, Williams has caught the attention of several top clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Barcelona, and PSG.

The 21-year-old played 37 matches across all competitions last season for Athletic Club, scoring nine goals and registering 19 assists. Moreover, the winger has had a standout performance at UEFA Euro 2024.

Nonetheless, it seems Barcelona have the inside track to landing the player. Amid the ongoing rumors about Williams, Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte commented on the Spanish star’s future.

“Nico, a very committed footballer with Athletic Club, has been subjected to an excessive and uncontrolled barrage of questions about his future, while he is focused on playing in the European Championship for the Spanish Football Federation, which has failed to protect him,” Uriarte said (h/t Diario AS).

“Athletic aspires to the highest goals, with no limits. We are demonstrating that we have an attractive and winning project for our players and coach. The proof is that we have recently renewed the contracts of two of our internationals, Simón (until 2029) and Vivian (until 2031).

“Nico signed last year until 2027, and several coveted players like Sancet, Prados, Julen Agirrezabala, and Paredes have also committed for several seasons, to name a few. Athletic Club is economically, socially, and athletically capable of keeping players of the caliber of those mentioned, including Nico Williams, within its structure.”

Barcelona club president Joan Laporta spoke about the possibility of landing Williams this summer and made positive remarks, which gives his supporters hope that they can win the race to land the winger.

“I like Nico, a lot,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio. “I can say that financially, we can make it happen. It’s the result of work that has been done over all these years to reach this point. We could, of course, face a signing of this level.”