Chelsea make "fresh contact" to sign £200k-per-week "dream" Maresca target
da bet nacional： Chelsea are beginning to lay groundwork over signing a “dream” target for manager Enzo Maresca, with new contact made ahead of the summer window.
Chelsea making transfer plans ahead of Club World Cup
da heads bet： This summer, the Premier League has announced that there will be two separate transfer windows.
Related Chelsea could offer Chalobah or Mudryk in part-exchange bid for £50m defender
The west Londoners are prepared to make an offer.
To allow both Chelsea and Man City to sign players before the Club World Cup, the first of these transfer windows will open from June 1st and will remain active until June 10th, with Maresca’s side expected to bring in fresh faces during that time.
Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Tottenham (home)
April 3rd
Brentford (away)
April 6th
Ipswich Town (home)
April 13th
Fulham (away)
April 20th
Everton (home)
April 26th
Journalist Simon Phillips previously reported that Chelsea have actively worked on a deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who they could hope to sign before the CWC takes place, but the Englishman isn’t their only forward target in that regard.
The Blues are also rumoured to be after a new winger, and their supposed “dream” target is Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.
The Spain international, who racked up 19 assists in all competitions at Bilbao last season, also played a major role in his country’s Euro 2024 triumph, and he currently stands out as one of Europe’s most exciting young stars.
Williams’ contract contains a £49 million release clause, meaning he is very much obtainable. However, the player is on good wages at Bilbao, rumoured to be around £200,000 per week, and the main obstacle will lie in convincing the player.
“Nico Williams is the dream wing target for top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern and let’s see what happens with Barcelona,” said Fabrizio Romano to GiveMeSport recently.
“More than 1 year ago, Chelsea wanted Nico Williams. For sure, they will add one more winger in the summer window. You have to convince Nico, that’s the main factor for these clubs.”
Chelsea make "fresh contact" to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao
According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea haven’t given up hope of landing the 22-year-old, and it is believed they’ve made an approach ahead of the first transfer window in early June.
Chelsea have apparently held “fresh contact” over signing Williams, and are considering a “blockbuster” move for the highly-rated gem, even if they face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Their race for Champions League qualification will be crucial in the race for Williams, as the forward has set his sights on playing in Europe’s biggest competitions. He is considered a top target on their agenda, as Romano previously reported, but there is still work to do for them to convince him to swap Bilbao for England.
This season, Williams boasts nine goals and seven assists from 37 appearances in all competitions, as well as being one of La Liga’s most lethal dribblers when it comes to successful take-ons per 90 (WhoScored).
He’d be a truly excellent replacement for Mykhailo Mudryk, who’s serving a ban due to his failed drugs test, or Noni Madueke, who’s attracting interest from Aston Villa.