After having to deal with many rumors about his departure from Athletic Bilbao, Spaniard Nico Williams returned to training and hinted that he intends to stay at the club. The winger had a good Euro 2016 with the Spanish national team and was speculated to be at Barcelona, PSG and Premier League clubs.
👋🏿 Welcome home, @willliamsssnico‼️
Nico Williams is already in Lezama ❤️#AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/jkljokSq86
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) August 6, 2024
“I’m back, looking forward to this season. Let’s go Athletic!”, said Nico, in a video published by Athletic on social media.
According to the Spanish newspaper ASNico’s family and friends played a big role in his decision to stay at Athletic. The source claims that he was advised to stay at the club to continue his development and take advantage of Athletic’s return to a European competition (Europa League).
Nico Williams has emerged as one of the most sought-after youngsters by top European clubs over the course of last season. The 22-year-old was a standout performer for Athletic in LaLiga alongside his brother and team captain Iñaki Williams. In total, he has scored ten goals and provided 20 assists in his 43 appearances for club and country in 2023/24.
The winger was also a standout for Spain at the European Championship, even scoring a goal in the tournament final against England.
According to several European sources, Nico was an ‘affordable’ target for top clubs because his contract had a release clause that was considered low for his potential, at around 60 million euros (around R$308 million). The only impediment was the high salary that Williams would require in a potential transfer to a big club, given that he already has one of the highest salaries in Athletic’s squad.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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