Fabrizio Romano has ruled out Chelsea signing one player this summer despite reported interest in him.
Chelsea are still looking to strengthen their attack after missing out on Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
Olise was thought to have been their No.1 target, but the 22-year-old is now set to join Bayern Munich.
The Blues, who still have the likes of Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk, will now have to turn elsewhere.
However, another attacker who they seem to appreciate also seems to be off the table at this moment in time.
Fabrizio Romano shares Chelsea’s current stance on one player
While Chelsea do have Palmer, Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Raheem Sterling, they still look keen on adding another winger to their squad.
There have been links with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, with it being claimed earlier this week that the Blues were planning to hold further talks with his agent about a move to west London.
However, according to Romano, Chelsea are not going to trigger his release clause this transfer window.
The Italian journalist posted on X: “Chelsea and Nico Williams, no plans to activate the release clause and sign him. Confirmed.”
He also revealed on Substack that the 21-year-old’s release clause is set at around £49m.
Nico Williams’ release clause
Looking at how he played last season and his potential, Williams probably is a £50m winger.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the Spain international scored eight goals and provided 19 assists in 37 outings.
Over the last year, Williams has also ranked in the 93rd percentile for progressive carries and the 94th for successful take-ons (FBref).
Having to potentially pay all of his release clause up front, though, means it is not a straightforward deal for Chelsea.
It could now see them miss out on Williams, which is a shame. The above shows that he is a really good attacker, who could have easily soften the blow of missing out on Olise.