Nico Williams opens up on his future amid Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal interest
Nico Williams opens up on his future amid Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal interest. Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams has insisted he’s happy at boyhood club Athletic Club, after snubbing interest from Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
Williams Jnr became a household name during the summer, thanks to his sterling performances at Euro 2024, scoring for Spain in the final of the competition and earning a place in the the Team of the Tournament due to his dynamic performances on the left flank for his nation.
Those stunning performances caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona all vying to sign the wide forward.
Barca were widely considered to be favourites to activate William’s extremely reasonable €58m release clause, however the youngster opted to reject a move to Catalunya and instead stay at Atletico Club for another season.
That decision hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning out rumours linking Williams with a move to Barca in the near future, but speaking to AS this week, the player was keen to insist that he is “happy” at his current club:
“I’m happy in Bilbao, I’ve decided to stay here,” said Williams. “It’s incredible to see the one that was formed with the Europa League match against AZ.
“It would be very top to be able to get a Europa League. On top of that, the final is at home. I can’t even imagine how Bilbao would get if we won that European title, because we would make Atletico Club even more known in the world.
“That is a very good tool and we are doing the necessary merits to take the trophy.”
