Nico Williams Chelsea transfer issue emerges as Enzo Maresca close to second signing

Pre-season is approaching for Chelsea and new head coach Enzo Maresca will be plotting where he wants his new side to improve and strengthen before the Premier League kicks off in August.

The Blues will be in the UEFA Conference League for the first time as they look to scoop a new piece of European silverware and continue to build on the foundations laid after a strong end to the season from Mauricio Pochettino. With the landscape dominated by Profit and Sustainability, there has been extra focus on dealings from Chelsea with interest in Jhon Duran plus links with Lille talisman Jonathan David.

There is less than a month until their first friendly against Wrexham in Santa Clara, by then Chelsea will be hoping to be performing at least 50 percent, with some of their stars returning after representing their nations at the European Championships and Copa America.

Here, though, football.london has the latest from the world of Chelsea and the transfer window.

Marc Guiu set for Chelsea move

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea plan to trigger Marc Guiu's €6million (£5m) release clause. The move would be a second signing under Maresca after Estevao Willian signed from Palmeiras ahead of an official move next season.

It has been suggested that a verbal agreement is already in place with the 18-year-old's agents and formal steps will now begin. Guiu will sign a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, it is expected.

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca's dream Chelsea line-up if club complete clever cut-price transfer this summer

READ MORE: Chelsea make transfer decision to secure major windfall amid imminent £19m announcement

football.london says: For all the claims about Chelsea's overspending and high-profile additions, the acquisition of Guiu could be a real coup. The Barcelona forward in an unknown entity, making just seven senior appearances for the Spanish giants, but his prospective signing is one for the future.

What Chelsea are aiming to do with the Spaniard remains to be seen. Could he be the latest in their long list of signing talents and loaning them to satellite clubs around the world? Or could he be in line to make a host of cameo appearances with the view of breaking into the first team?

Time will tell, but it could alleviate some pressure on making an attacking signing this summer with Duran and David on the radar. Nicolas Jackson endured a difficult debut campaign, and the jury is still out on him, but the next move from transfer chiefs in West London remains to be seen.

Nico Williams problem emerges as Chelsea face £3.2m threat

football.london understands that the Blues are big admirers of Nico Williams, however, his wage demands represent a big obstacle for the club. The 21-year-old winger has been mightily impressive for Spain at Euro 2024, but is said to be earning a reported £170,000-per-week at Bilbao.

Any move away from the Spanish club would likely see Williams demand even more in terms of his wages. While Chelsea remain huge fans of Williams, they see his current wage as too high for them to seriously consider signing him this summer.

With three years left to run on his contract at the Estadio de San Mames, the Blues have held talks with the winger's representatives earlier this summer about a move. But at this point, a move for Williams looks highly unlikely this summer.

football.london says: Chelsea are in the queue, and it's a long one. Nico Williams is one of the breakout stars from this summer's tournament, and Bilbao will be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of clubs lining up at their door looking to pay the eye-watering price for the Spaniard.

The thought of Williams is good, and while Chelsea have stressed that the threat of PSR isn't in the equation for this season, there must be an element of concern for next May and June, when the accounts have to be filed again. It will be interesting to see when the club announce their revenue for the last calendar year following the wild spending under Todd Boehly and the recent hiring and firing of managers.

The pursuit of Williams could be similar to the one of Victor Osimhen, where the interest was there, but due to wage demands and the likelihood of a whopping transfer fee, this will be a stumbling block.