It looks like Chelsea are not the frontrunners to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams this summer.
Chelsea remain interested in Nico Williams, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
However, Romano has stated on his YouTube channel that while the Blues would like to sign the 22-year-old, they are reluctant to pay all of the fees required to land his signature.
With that being the case, now could be the time to give serious consideration to bringing in a wide man from the Premier League.
Chelsea’s potential alternatives to Nico Williams
One player who Chelsea could sign if they miss out on Williams is Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi.
It has been claimed that Chelsea are targeting Adeyemi, with the club really liking his versatility.
The 22-year-old can play as a left winger, but he can also start up front. In fact, during his final season at Red Bull Salzburg, Adeyemi made all of his appearances as a centre-forward.
Before Chelsea make a serious push to sign him, though, it may be worth making a bid for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma.
Kaoru Mitoma could be a brilliant signing for Chelsea
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea have discussed signing Mitoma internally.
If things advance from there and the Blues end up landing the Japanese attacker, then Enzo Maresca can be a very happy man.
At 27, Mitoma would obviously bring experience to this Chelsea side, while he is a wide man who always looks so dangerous when he plays.
“He’s top level, the way he watches the defenders and reacts to that, the way he dribbles, he’s a very clever player, very sharp and he’s an important player for us for sure,” James Milner told Brighton’s official website last year when discussing his teammate.
Mitoma was only able to play 19 games in the Premier League last season because of injury. However, he still came up with seven goal contributions and recorded the highest average for dribbles per match in his squad, as per WhoScored.
If Chelsea do not see Williams as a viable option, then turning their attention over to Mitoma could be the smart thing to do.
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