Arsenal send scouts to watch £42m Chelsea transfer target: report

Arsenal have reportedly been scouting Athletic Bilbao and Spain winger Nico Williams, a rumoured transfer target for London rivals Chelsea.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked with the 21-year-old, who has already made more than 100 appearances for Athletic since debuting aged just 17.

Williams – whose signed a new contract in December until the summer of 2027 – is said to have a release clause of a relatively low €50m (£42.6m).

Williams is one of the most exciting young attacking players in Europe (Image credit: Getty Images)And, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and Chelsea have both been showing a keen interest in the Athletic Bilbao youth product.

“Arsenal have also sent their scouts to follow Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao multiples times,” Romano told CaughtOffside, “and it’s the same for Chelsea as they included him in the list [of transfer targets] last summer.

“The race is completely open, and nothing is advanced with either club so far. He’d be great in the Premier League in my opinion – a physical and technical player, [a] very good one.”

Williams could play a key part for Spain at this summer’s Euros (Image credit: Getty Images)Born in Pamplona, Spain to Ghanaian parents, Williams began his senior career with Basconia, a feeder club for Athletic.

He has featured 109 times for the Basque giants in all, scoring five goals in 24 appearances this season – which he kicked off in style by winning La Liga’s Player of the Month award for August.

A Spanish international since U18 level, Williams made his full debut for La Roja shortly before the 2022 World Cup – where he featured in all four of the country’s games, including a start in the group-stage defeat to Japan.

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Meanwhile, Declan Rice is said to have favoured a move to Chelsea before joining the Gunners last summer.

And club legend Ian Wright has opened up on the Arsenal moment that ‘broke’ him.

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