Athletic Club have made their position of movement on Nico Williams transparent amid many reports of interest in the winger after his performances with Spain at Euro 2024.
The 22-year-old signed a new contract with Bilbao last December, binding him to the club until 2027, but his minimum amount clause, a mandatory component of the contract in Spain, is said to have moved slightly and is has been set at 58 million euros. (£48. 8 million).
This is a relative break in the existing transfer climate, and a fleet of clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been linked to his signing.
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This has intensified in light of her key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 victory, with Williams impressive early in the festival before scoring the opening goal against England last Sunday.
And Marca now reports that Athletic are determined to remain unmoved by any offer that does not have compatibility with Williams’ release clause, and even then, only if the player himself appears and says he would like to continue his action.
The Liverpool Echo translation notes that Athletic “would be willing to reach an agreement with the player if he asks to leave and if a club pays the full release clause. “Well, yes, because they would be contractually obligated to do so, and any offer would be meaningless unless Williams wanted to leave.
The president of Athletic, Jon Uriarte, was not only very happy with the hypothesis about Williams’ long career that he shamelessly discussed with him in the Spanish press conferences during the Euro Cup.
He said: “Nico, a footballer very committed to Athletic Club, has been the subject of a bombardment of questions about his long career in an exaggerated and out of control way, while he is being targeted to bet on the Euro Cup through the Spanish Football Federation. Soccer, which has not managed to shield it.
Williams came through Athletic’s formation and has made 122 appearances for the club’s first team to date, racking up 20 goals and 26 assists along the way. Eight of his goals and 19 of his assists were scored in the League and Cup last season.