Chelsea and Arsenal dealt blow as £49 million-rated star opens talks over new contract at current club

As per journalist Ben Jacobs (via Metro), Chelsea and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Athletic Club's Nico Williams. He claims that the Spaniard is set to renew his contract at Bilbao, which was set to expire in June 2027 initially.

Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea were reportedly keen to sign Williams. However, Blaugrana withdrew from the race, leaving the two London-based Premier League clubs to battle it out.

The Gunners had reportedly met Williams's representatives over a possible move to England. While Chelsea, who are looking to reinforce their attack, considered the Spaniard as one of their options.

Both clubs were also looking to trigger the reported £49 million release clause in his contract with Athletic Club. However, new details suggest that this might not be possible, as Williams is set to extend his stay at the club.

The aforementioned report also claimed that Williams's new annual earnings could increase to €10 million (£8.42m). This is also expected to increase his release clause from £49 million.

Ian Wright names three positions that Arsenal should strengthen this summer

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City - Emirates FA Cup Semi Final - Source: Getty

Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has opined that the Gunners should sign a striker, another forward, and a centre-back this summer. While highlighting that the present squad is ‘very good’ mentally, Wright added that there's a need to enhance the options in some areas.

In a discussion on the Seaman Says Podcast, Wright said (via Football London):

"I think that mentality-wise, [the squad] is very strong and it's going to be vital who he adds to that group, Apparently [Martin] Zubimendi's there, they’re talking about Gyokeres."

He added:

"Whether it's Sesko, I don't know who it's going to be, but I believe that we need a main striker, another forward, I’ll probably have a backup centre-half. I would have loved us to buy [Dean] Huijsen off of Bournemouth, but he's gone to Real Madrid. They saw it, and they just come in and go 'bang. We just need a couple more and I think that we need a bit of luck with the injuries and the referees."

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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