Athletic Bilbao's 21-year-old shooting star Inaki Williams has caught the eye of Premier League clubs who are looking to sign the youngster.
Manchester City and Arsenal are in a battle to sign the Spanish youngster. Williams has recently signed a contract until June 2021 which has also seen his release clause rise to £40million, as Premier League clubs try to convince the player to join them.
Rapid increase
Through his performances this season and his rapid increase, clubs from Europe have expressed their interest in signing the half-Ghanaian, who is a talent from the Bilbao academy.
Two seasons ago, Williams played for Bilbao's second team, making a good impression, scoring eight goals in 14 matches in the Segunda Divison B - Grupo II. It was no suprise that he got the chance to prove himself in the first team, eventually becoming a regular player among Ernesto Valverde's side. The 51-year-old coach put the Spain U21 international in the starting line-up on the first matchday against Cordoba, which saw Bilbao lose 0-1.
After impressing, Williams got more chances and more minutes to play, but he couldn't pay back the manager's faith, scoring just a single goal in his first ever season in Primera Division. In the very last minute of the second last matchday against Elche, Williams found the net, scoring the late-winner which resulted in a 3-2 victory for Bilbao. Elche led 2-0 until half-time whistle and three goals in the last ten minutes earned the guests three points. Beside the goal, Williams also assisted one on the last matchday against Villarreal during the 4-0 win.
A highlight for the offensive player was definitely his full 90 minutes appearance against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Williams even got one back and scored during the defeat, but Bilbao had no chance to spring a suprise in the last minutes of the final which saw Barcelona win the cup after goals by Neymar and Messi (x2).
The new season started terrible for the shooting star, with a leg fracture he missed the first five matches (among others against Barcelona), taking time to recover. On matchday eight against Deportivo La Coruna, Williams scored to give Bilbao a 1-0 lead before being substituted 15 minutes before final whistle. The match finished 2-2. Despite not playing the full 90 minutes this season, the 21-year-old has conviced a number of teams to battle for his signature.
Williams loves Atheltic
The player himself often said that he doesn't really want to transfer away from Bilbao, as he appreciates everything the club has done for him.
He played his whole career in Bilbao, growing and maturing there. Because of this, he has signed a contract extension until June 2021, got a pay rise and re-doubled his release clause up to £40m. If other clubs really want to sign the striker, they have to pay a high amount and have to convince the player to leave the city, where he was born and with which he identifies himself.