Chelsea send positive signal to player’s reps in potential transfer battle with Barcelona

Chelsea have held some talks with the representatives of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, and it seems they have indicated they’d be willing to make him one of their highest paid players.

That’s according to Simon Phillips on Substack, with the journalist explaining that Williams is also a target for Barcelona this summer, and that he clearly won’t come cheap.

The Spain international had a really good summer at Euro 2024, and it makes sense that he’s now on the radar of bigger clubs ahead of next season, with Chelsea in need of someone like that to come in as an upgrade on struggling performers like Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Williams looks like he’d be a hit in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen if Chelsea can move ahead of Barca in the race for his signature.

Williams transfer: What Fabrizio Romano has said about his future

Fabrizio Romano has also commented on Williams’ situation, saying, via his Daily Briefing column, that the 22-year-old is a top priority target for Barcelona at the moment, as they are obsessed about signing him, even if RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo could be an alternative if the deal doesn’t work out.

“Barcelona also appreciate Olmo and have a good relationship with his agents, because he shares agents with Mikayil Faye, so they had the opportunity to ask about his situation. Still, for Barca, the priority is Nico Williams,” Romano said.

“Let’s see what happens with Williams, but he’s the obsession of Barcelona right now. Negotiations are ongoing on the player side, and then let’s see what Barca decide to do with him or with Olmo eventually, but at the moment there’s still no bid.”

Oscar Bobb to Chelsea could also be a story to watch, according to Phillips elsewhere in his column.