Chelsea are looking for a replacement for Nico Williams after the young striker chose to join Barcelona.

Chelsea are continuing their search for wingers in the summer transfer window, with Nico Williams a top target. After an excellent season at Athletic Bilbao, the 22-year-old also shone at EURO 2024 with Spain, which has attracted strong interest from big clubs and Chelsea are not left out.

While Chelsea and manager Enzo Maresca dream of signing Williams, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, agreeing personal terms will be a problem. To reach a deal, the Blues will need Williams to significantly reduce his wage demands.

Mitoma is considered by Chelsea’s Board of Directors as a possible replacement for Nico Williams, after The Blues unsuccessfully pursued the Spanish player – Photo: Internet

Chelsea have also immediately considered many alternative options to find a suitable one. According to journalist Ben Jacobs via The SPTC Podcast, another name has just been put back on Chelsea’s shortlist, which is Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton.

In recent years, Chelsea has had a close relationship with Brighton’s Board of Directors when successfully recruiting Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, director Paul Winstanley, coach Graham Potter and many other staff from this team.

The deal to sign the Japanese player has a very high success rate, especially given the close relationship between Chelsea and Brighton – Photo: Internet

Therefore, the potential for The Blues to succeed in this deal is not small. According to Tranfersmarkt, the current value of the Japanese player on the transfer market fluctuates between 45 million and 50 million Euros. At present, Chelsea’s Board of Directors is still monitoring and has not made any announcement or sent an official offer to Brighton.