Chelsea join the hunt with Barcelona to snatch Athletic Club winger | OneFootball

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It would not be a surprise to see FC Barcelona make some big moves this summer. While their financial status is hardly ideal, Barça have been known to pull rabbits out of their hat before. This time around, however, it would appear that Barcelona are heading into the summer window with a plan.

One of the major components of said plan happens to be 21-year-old Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. The Spanish winger, currently impressing at the Euros over in Germany, is the priority target for Barcelona to reinforce their left-winger spot and bring in a differential player.

Unfortunately for Barcelona, some things are just not adding up in their favor. For one, Williams has himself been rather cryptic about his future and instead prefers to focus on the renewal he just signed with his current club, something that he said is worth paying attention to.

Secondly, as highlighted by SPORT, Williams is now also the priority target for Premier League side Chelsea. Following the news that Crystal Palace forward Michael Olise will be joining Bayern Munich, Chelsea essentially lost their original first priority target highlighted by new coach Enzo Maresca.

Now, however, they consider Nico Williams to be the best possible alternative. With Chelsea currently remodeling the team under the new coach, Williams would be a player whose profile they would take directly into consideration as they go about their remodeling.

Furthermore, Chelsea would be more than willing and able to pay Williams’s release clause as well. Reportedly set at €58 million, the amount would not be a problem at all for the London-based club while it may be quite the hassle to meet for Barcelona, a club that continues to struggle with its finances.

It remains to be seen just how much of a challenge Chelsea can become, especially because Barcelona are serious about their intentions to sign Nico Williams. However, recent reports have started to suggest that there may be a certain Liverpool winger who is really appreciated at Barcelona as well.