Chelsea join race for Barcelona winger target with €50 million release clause

Nico Williams has a lot of admirers at FC Barcelona, with the club following the Spanish international closely for some time now.

There had been interest in the 21-year-old as his contract was set to expire at the end of the season. But since then, the winger has signed a new deal with Athletic Club until 2027, with the deal including a €50 million release clause.

Despite that, Barcelona continue to follow Nico and are even in contact with his entourage.

Chelsea join Barcelona in race for Nico Williams

Nico Williams’ performances for Athletic Club, most recently in the Copa del Rey finals against RCD Mallorca, have put him on the radars of elite clubs across Europe.

As mentioned earlier, Barcelona have been interested in him for some time now and now Chelsea, too, have entered the race for the Spaniard, reports SPORT.

The Blues are going through a disappointing season in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino and are hoping to strengthen their squad further in the summer.

Man in demand. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

As such, Williams has been identified as a strategic target by the London giants as they believe he would give a leap in quality to the team.

Deal not easy

While the €50 million release clause might not be an issue for Chelsea, both they and Barcelona will face a different hurdle in pursuit of Nico.

The 21-year-old, as things stand, wants to stay at Athletic Club next season and play in Europe with the Basque club.

Ernesto Valverde’s men will definitely be in the UEFA Europa League next season after winning the Copa del Rey and could even make it into the Champions League, with a top-four finish in La Liga not out of their reach.

It could work out in Barcelona’s favour though as the Catalans could be in a better position financially next year to pay his €50 million release clause.