Chelsea have moved to steal a march on their rivals and seal a deal for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, sources have told Football Insider.
A lot has happened since Nico made his league debut just over two years ago. Last season, he scored nine goals and provided six assists in 43 games in all competitions.
He also made his senior Spain debut and played in all four of their matches at the World Cup.
His performances has led to alot of speculation in recent months that all the big clubs are very interested in getting a transfer deal done – with reports claiming that Chelsea are leading the chase for the La Liga talent.
He has notched six goals and 14 assists (20 total goal contributions) in 30 appearances across all competitions this term.
And amid all the speculation – Former France midfielder Emmanuel Petit, who played for CHELSEA FC as well as Barcelona, rates the 11-cap Spaniard as one of LaLiga’s hottest talents.
Real Madrid and Liverpool have been tipped to launch summer approaches for the 21-year-old.
But Petit, 53, told Football Betting: “He’s got five goals and ten assists already this season. He’s fast, powerful and always runs towards the goal and facing defenders with great skills and dribbling.
“He can play on the right or left and every time I watch Athletic, they always give him the ball because he’s so good at facing two defenders.
“He’d be a very good addition to any team as his skills are devastating. I love players who are always provoking defenders.”
The lad is a special talent that is making all the right noises in the game – but he does not need to move yet and should stay at his current club as he is playing the football that he needs to develop