Chelsea’s pursuit of Jamie Gittens has entered another day without any progress. The club has already started looking at alternatives in case the deal fails to materialise. Fans are growing increasingly impatient due to these unforeseen delays. To make matters worse, one of the Blues' long-time targets appears set to join another club.
Apart from Gittens, Chelsea have also been linked with a number of other left wingers. Nico Williams is among them, as the Blues have shown interest in the player for a few seasons now.
However, Chelsea have been dealt a major blow, with reports indicating that the Spanish international has agreed to personal terms with FC Barcelona. A move to Camp Nou seems to be on the cards for Williams.
As reported by BBC, Barcelona have agreed personal terms with Williams. He has a €62m (£53m) release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao.
Chelsea target Nico Williams agrees terms to join Barcelona
One of the main reasons which is believed to have facilitated the deal is Williams’ desire to join his Spanish international teammate Lamine Yamal at Camp Nou. Now, it remains to be seen if he two clubs can reach an agreement or if Barcelona activate his release clause.
It’s true that Williams fits the profile of the player Chelsea are looking for perfectly. However, the club never pursued signing the Spaniard seriously, with his salary expectations believed to be an obstacle.
Chelsea are still the frontrunners to sign Gittens, who remains firmly committed to the personal agreement made with the Blues. Recently, the club has also identified a few other candidates, including Malick Fofana and Mohammed Kudus.
There’s still a lot of time left before the transfer window closes. So there’s still plenty of belief that the club will secure a reliable left winger in the form of Gittens or someone else this summer.