After weeks of speculation, Nico Williams is set to sign a new contract at Athletic Club. The 21-year-old would have been able to sign a pre-contract agreement with other clubs in just over one month’s time, but that will no longer be the case.
However, it does appear that Athletic are prepared to allow their star youngster to leave the club when he sees fit. This is because, as MD have advanced, his release clause, which sits at €50m on his old deal, will remain the same for his new one.
This opens the door for interested clubs to make their move, knowing that they won’t have to break the bank too much to sign one of Spanish football’s best young players. Among those that have reported interest is Barcelona and Real Madrid, who could go for Nico in 2024.
Athletic Club know that they can’t hold on to Nico forever, so this appears to be a pre-arranged agreement that he can leave, so long as it wasn’t for free. €50m would be a significant amount of money that can be re-invested by the Bilbao-based side.
