Athletic Bilbao transfers, rumours, and updates live: Club Confident in Retaining Nico Williams

Barcelona are reportedly still waiting for a decision from Nico Williams. He is yet to communicate his decision with Athletic Bilbao as well.

As per a report in SPORT, Williams was expected to make a decision last week, but has taken more time. Barcelona and Bilbao are keen on getting things sorted this week, but the winger is yet to indicate that the decision is coming soon.

Chelsea have also been keeping tabs on the situation as they are also ready to activate his release clause. The €58 million clause is still active in his contract and Bilbao are looking to hand him a new deal with a bigger release clause.

The Blaugrana are still not giving up on Nico Williams, who is poised to continue at Athletic Bilbao and sign a new contract this summer. The 22-year-old had a stellar 2023/24 campaign with Bilbao and was a part of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning squad.

Bilbao reportedly want to hand William a new contract after his sensational campaign which would include a higher release clause and make it difficult for Barcelona to make any plausible move.

According to reports, Barcelona will wait until the 12th of August and will officially end their interest in the winger if they do not receive a positive response.

Barcelona have been pushing hard to sign talented Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, who has been one of the club’s top targets this summer. Joan Laporta earlier admitted that the club can afford Williams’ €58 million release clause, however, the transfer will not materialize in this summer window.

The 22-year-old was seen liking a Barca post captioned “Barça’s future is very bright,” which featured a juxtaposition of current players Pedri, Lamine Yamal, and Gavi with former club legends Iniesta, Messi, and Xavi.

Even if Barcelona can afford to pay Williams’ release clause, they would struggle to register the player with La Liga as they are limited on what they can spend by the league.

This is according to Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font, who believes current president Joan Laporta has lied about the club’s ability to sign Nico Williams this summer. He claims that Barcelona does not have the financial facilities to secure a signature for the Athletic Bilbao star.

Nico Williams who has a release clause worth €58 million has seen plenty of interest from top European clubs this summer following his outstanding Euros campaign with Spain.

“I wish we could sign Nico Williams as it is what we need,” Font told The Athletic. “The president has said it is possible, but that is not true. Today, it cannot be done.

“We hope it will be possible tomorrow, or the following day. But today, it is not.”

But Williams will reportedly prolong his stay with Athletic Club after the winger was offered a new contract. Barcelona will now only focus on striking a deal with RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo who could be worth over €60m.

According to Simon Phillips, Chelsea are still not done with pursuing Nico Williams this summer.

There have been strong reports of Williams being likely to stay at Athletic Bilbao, however, Phillips says that the Blues sense an opportunity with Barcelona moving their attention towards securing the signature of Dani Olmo instead.

Athletic Bilbao have been very strict with regards to their asking price for the Euro 2024 winner and will reportedly stick to it as the player himself is in no hurry to leave the club.

Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams is reportedly expected to stay at the club next season, revealed The Athletic correspondent Pol Ballus on X. The Spaniard has been on Barcelona’s viewfinder and Ballus further stated that the Catalans are still waiting for a confirmation from the player.

Williams has become a hot commodity in the transfer market for his dazzling performances with Spain at Euro 2024, where he also netted their opening goal in the finals against England as La Roja were crowned champions for the fourth time.

Jordi Batalla has reported via Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona will not increase their offer to sign Nico Williams, even if Paris Saint-Germain have entered the race for the Spaniard.

Williams has been targeted by some of the top clubs in Europe after his performances for Spain at Euro 2024, however, Bilbao’s valuation for the player is deemed too high. The player himself is reported to be keen on joining Barcelona, but also wants to respect the decision his club takes.

Recently, PSG have shown interest in the talented winger, however, Barcelona are not said to be too concerned about that as they believe the player wants to join them. It was reported that PSG offered Williams double the salary what Barcelona offered.

Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Nico Williams and Mikel Moreno this summer. The Gunners see the Euro 2024 winning duo as players who can help them win silverware.

As per a report in the Evening Standard, Mikel Arteta sees the Spanish duo as vital additions to his squad. He believes that they can help elevate his tactics and take them over the line in the Premier League.

The Gunners face competition from Barcelona for both players. The Catalan side are also looking to sign the duo as the Hansi Flick era begins.

Williams has a €58 million release clause, with Chelsea and PSG also keeping tabs on his situation. Moreno has a year left on his contract at Real Sociedad and is keen on leaving.

Enzo Maresca and the Chelsea hierarchy are getting increasingly confident and “well placed” in the race for Spain international Nico Williams, according to The Athletic.

Despite making a striker signing already in the form of Renato Veiga, Chelsea are reportedly still in the market for a striker as they look to end in the top four of the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League next season.

The Athletic have reported that the Blues would “love” to sign Athletic Bilbao’s Williams and have carried out “long-term groundwork” on the winger.

With a reported release clause £43m, Williams is an absolute bargain in the current transfer market scenario.

Premier League giants Liverpool are among a list of clubs vying for the signature of Spain starlet Nico Williams in the 2024 summer transfer window and latest reports from El Nacional suggest that the Reds are willing to meet Athletic Bilbao’s €58m release clause to sign the sensation.

While this looks amazing on paper and Liverpool will have an obvious advantage over others in terms of the player’s valuation, it is important to note that Williams is reportedly not looking to join the Premier League this summer, with Barcelona touted to be his dream destination once he finishes his chapter at Athletic Bilbao.