€58m is outrageously cheap for elite winger – but Chelsea will have to compete on wages | OneFootball

Chelsea are being linked with a few different forwards right now, with last week’s push to sign Jamie Gittens coming up short.

Release clause makes elite winger a popular target this summer

Nico Williams in action for Athletic Bilbao against Osasuna. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

A big name in the market this summer is Nico Williams, and AS in Spain are reporting some interesting stuff on that front. They say that the Athletic Bilbao star is available for a bargain €58m because of a release clause in his contract, and that’s bringing a “crossfire” from Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Chelsea.

We certainly know we’d rather pay that than the outrageous £70m that Man U are asking for Alejandro Garnacho.

Meanwhile, Athletic are desperately trying to get their star player to sign a new contract with a greatly enhanced release clause and some huge wages to make it worthwhile.

Chelsea a long way off top signing – but with a chance

We’re not going to get too excited about Chelsea’s interest just yet, as there’s such a long way to go. Williams would have to turn down his current club’s attempts to resign him, then he’d have to choose us over Bayern and Arsenal. Then we’d have to pay massive wages to secure him.

But the fact remains that that clause is there, and for now we can dream. This is a real test of how much the sporting directors are willing to bend or break their own guidelines on players. Would they crack their wage structure for Williams, given they’d be getting a bargain in terms of the transfer fee?

We suspect not, which would be a shame. An experienced top level player like him could make an important impact right off the bat for a team which wants to go to the next level next season.