€60m Athletic Club star prefers Barcelona over any other side | OneFootball

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The coming weeks and months will be integral for FC Barcelona to find their best targets. While the Catalan club already has a clear understanding of their desired reinforcements, short-listing will still take its time. However, Barcelona do have one name in mind as an absolute favorite.

Nico Williams, aged just 21, is a proper star for both Athletic Club and the Spanish National team. For FC Barcelona, signing him would be an absolute priority and a dream arrival. However, just as the player begins to explode on the international stage as well, a new interest seems to be brewing in him.

As highlighted by SPORT, Premier League side Chelsea has recently inquired about the player. However, to their dismay, the response that an intermediary has brought back to them is that Nico Williams is not too fond about joining any side other than FC Barcelona at the moment.

For the player himself, Barcelona remains his priority destination and that is where he wants to end up if he leaves Athletic Club. However, that is where the downsides begin for Barça and the upsides become more apparent in favor of the side from London.

Financially, there is simply no debate. Chelsea have the means to offer the Athletic Club star an improvement over his current salary, which is reportedly close to €7.5 million, and are willing to make an offer that would see him reportedly earn somewhere between €15-20 million a year. For Barcelona, being able to match those numbers may be next to impossible.

Moreover, Chelsea is also capable enough to pay the player’s release clause as well. Reportedly set at a price close to €60 million, the Premier League side is able to match that number and pay it at any given time, while Barcelona would still need to sort out their finances first.

This gives Chelsea a lot more time to operate with and convince Nico Williams. Barcelona, on the other hand, have some operations that they are working on to help them return to the 1:1 rule. Only after that objective is accomplished would the Catalan club be able to make a formal move for Williams. Fortunately, his desire to join Barcelona remains in their favor.