According to reports, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta could upset some of his players by signing Chelsea-linked Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
are in the market for a couple of signings this summer. It is understood that they are looking to recruit a striker and centre-midfielder.
Williams to Arsenal?
The Premier League giants could also look to sign a right winger to compete with Bukayo Saka and they are being heavily linked with .
The 21-year-old has mostly been used as a left winger this season but he has previously shown that he is equally as capable of playing on the other flank and is coming off a superb season in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao.
He has eight goals and 19 assists in his 38 appearances for the La Liga outfit during the 2023/24 campaign and is now shining for Spain at Euro 2024.
Williams has an affordable release clause in his contract and would be a great addition for Arsenal, but
‘After losing Michael Olise, who left for Munich, Chelsea is betting heavily on Nico Williams, seen on the pitch in his Spain’s match against Italy.
‘The first profile identified was that of Michael Olise, a Crystal Palace winger . The Frenchman, however, chose Bayern Munich.
‘Now, the new lead seems to be that of Nico Williams. Chelsea is insisting on finding an agreement with the Basques, especially after the Olise deal fell through. The Blues appear to be interested in paying the release clause imposed by the Spanish club, which amounts to 55 million euros [£46m].’
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However, Italian journalist Matteo Moretto claims Williams is not a priority target for Chelsea .
As of today, Chelsea considers the route that Nico Williams is taking to be unfeasible due the costs of any deal.
His release clause at Atheltic Club, which as I revealed earlier this week is €58m, and the salary that Nico would ask for, are out of reach at the moment for Chelsea.
Nico is just fine at Athletic, he has just renewed his contract and he is certainly in no rush, nor is there any pressure for him to change teams.
📣TO THE COMMENTS! Should Arsenal sign Nico Williams this summer?
This could give Arsenal a free run at signing Williams, but a report from The Express claims this statement signing plan could see Arteta upset his senior stars .
Williams’ wage demands would see him rank as the second-highest earner at the club, a move that could potentially cause unrest behind the scenes.
As per Spotrac, Kai Havertz sits top of Arsenal’s wage bill, with the German pocketing a reported £280,000 per week.
Gabriel Jesus is second with a salary worth £265,000 per week, but after that, it’s a big-ish drop off to the likes of Saka, Saliba, Gabriel and Odegaard.
