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Jake Stokes

Chelsea complete £43m World Cup scouting mission as Todd Boehly plots 'next Neymar' transfer

Chelsea could be tempted into signing Athletic Bilbao wonderkid Nico Williams in the January transfer window, according to reports. The 20-year-old forward has quickly become heavily linked with a move to the Premier League following a pair of impressive cameo performances off the bench for Spain at the World Cup.

Williams, who sees his contract with Bilbao expire in 18 months, replaced Marco Asensio in La Furia Roja's World Cup opener against Cost Rica which saw Luis Enrique's side waltz away 7-0 victors. Having done well, the Spain boss decided to use the winger off the bench again in a 1-1 draw with Germany.

The youngster's performances in Qatar have been the cherry on top of a bright start to the La Liga campaign. Williams has featured 14 times for the Basque side in the Spanish top-flight this term, directly contributing towards seven goals.

READ MORE: How Lionel Messi can gift Chelsea the surprise transfer solution to Graham Potter's big worry

His impressive displays have courted the interest of three Premier League sides ahead of the January transfer window; Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, according to Goal. The report states that Paris Saint-Germain could also be tempted into signing Williams, who has a €50million (£43m) release clause.

However, a deal could be difficult to complete with Williams confessing his love for current club in the summer. Speaking to 3News, as quoted by Goal, the youngster reiterated his desire to stay at Bilbao despite interest in his services.

"I love Bilbao," Williams said. "I love Athletic Club. I want to be there with my brother and all my teammates. It’s like a family for me. I want to stay in Bilbao.

"I want to win trophies for Bilbao. Bilbao is like a family to me. My brother has won cups there and I want to give more to Bilbao."

Williams continued by outlining the difference between himself and his older brother Inaki Williams, who is representing Ghana at the World Cup. In doing so, the Bilbao starlet compared his dribbling style to that of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

"My brother is more physical. He has a lot of pace. I am a dribbler like Neymar, [Ousmane] Dembele, and Mbappe," Williams said. "It's so important for me to have my brother on the same team with me. He teaches me a lot of things. My brother works hard. I see that and I want to be like him."

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