Barcelona reach total agreement with agent of Chelsea target, ready to pay clause to trigger transfer

Barcelona have reportedly reached a total agreement with the agent of Athletic Bilbao winger and rumoured Chelsea transfer target Nico Williams.

Barca have been strongly linked with Williams for some time now after his eye-catching form in La Liga last season, as well as with the Spanish national team this summer as he played a key role in their Euro 2024 victory.

Chelsea have also been linked with Williams by Simon Phillips on Substack, with the journalist explaining that the Blues indicated they’d be willing to pay big wages for the 22-year-old, making him one of their highest earners.

However, El Chiringuito are now reporting that Barcelona look to be leading the race for Williams’ signature, reaching a full agreement with his agent ahead of triggering his release clause at Athletic Bilbao…

?"ACUERDO TOTAL entre el BARÇA y el AGENTE de NICO WILLIAMS".

?"En cuanto el jugador dé el OK, el Barça ejecutará la cláusula".

??Información de @10JoseAlvarez pic.twitter.com/rXQevfjI0n

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) July 24, 2024

Williams looks like he could be a superb fit for Barcelona next season, with new manager Hansi Flick likely to feel he needs to revamp his front three a little bit after some unconvincing form for much of last term.

Williams could surely be a major upgrade on the likes of Raphinha and Ansu Fati, and he showed for Spain this summer just how well he can link up with Barca wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

This is a blow for Chelsea, however, who also surely need a signing of just this type of profile as soon as possible.

Recent signings like Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk have been majorly disappointing for CFC, but Williams looks like he could have been the real deal at Stamford Bridge, finally giving fans of the west London giants the Eden Hazard heir they’ve so been craving.

It must be harder, though, for Chelsea to lure the biggest named right now after a couple of years out of the Champions League and struggling to compete for silverware like they used to.