At Euro 2024, it could be argued that Nico Williams has stood out more than any other player. The Spanish winger has been electric with one goal and one assist in three games so far.

Consequently, as tends to be the way with international tournaments, his starring displays have sparked plenty of transfer interest from major European football clubs. It's understood that the player has a pretty reasonable release clause too.

Indeed, Athletic Bilbao could see their man depart for around just €58m (£49m) this summer, per Fabrizio Romano. However, his wages could be a huge stumbling block as he currently earns around €200,385 per week (£170,000) and will demand even more if he is to move.

But why does a 21-year-old, who is yet to play in the Champions League – or even the Europa League or Europa Conference League for that matter – earn so much?

Why Nico Williams is Demanding Such High Wages

Already earning over €200k per week

The key thing about the winger is that he plays for Athletic Bilbao. The Spanish club have a unique way of going about their squad building which means that, since 1912, they have only signed players who were born in the Basque Country or who learned their football skills at a Basque club.

This has been praised as a way of promoting and getting the best out of youth talent and it has worked brilliantly for the club when it comes to Williams. His parents are Ghanaian but crossed the Sahara barefoot to arrive in Spain. In Bilbao, older brother Inaki was born, with Nico then following. Nowadays, the two siblings are the club's highest earners. Per Capology, Inaki makes around €219k-p/w (£186k), which is around £16k more than his younger brother.

Because the club recruit only players from the Basque Country, they don't go and spend millions on transfer fees every summer. In fact, their record signing was Inigo Martinez for €32m (£27m) in 2017/18, and they've only ever spent more than €20m on one more transfer (Yuri Berchiche) in their history.

In terms of outgoings, however, they've regularly managed to pick up notable transfer fees for the sales of home-ground talent. The record is Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was sold to Chelsea for €80m (£68m) but the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Javi Martinez and Ander Herrera have also been sold for big money.

This means the sustainable La Liga club has plenty of revenue. What's more, when star players of genuine world-class talent do emerge, as is the case with Williams, they want to keep them around for as long as possible. As such, the 21-year-old has been handed a very healthy wage at a young age.

Per The Athletic, he signed a three-year contract extension last December with Bilbao, with his salary upgraded to "reflect his progress from an academy graduate to a star in the making."

Wages Demands Could Put Off Summer Transfer

Chelsea and Barcelona probably can't afford him

Off the back of his exciting Euro 2024 performances, and with his transfer release clause set, there has understandably been plenty of speculation about the future of Williams. Alongside Barcelona, Premier League teams such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been among the big European names to have been linked with the player.

However, it appears as though his big wages could prevent a move. Already making plenty, if he was to leave Bilbao – a club close to his heart for obvious reasons – it would take a big pay packet to convince the young winger to move on.

Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has noted: "He’s been asking for £250,000 per week plus appearance money.". Reporter Dean Jones has also said that Liverpool would have to pay him around £300,000 a week if they were to get a deal done.

If he was to get paid up to £300k-p/w, this would be more than what Kylian Mbappe is set to earn weekly at Real Madrid – with his figure reported to be at £246,154 per week. At Liverpool, only Mohamed Salah currently earns more than the fee Williams reportedly wants, and at Arsenal this would beat top-earner Kai Havertz who is on £280,000 per week.

There have been reports that some teams have already been put off by the player's demands. In June, Romano revealed that Chelsea believe his "salary requests" are "considered too high". Arsenal are also understood to have concerns about paying the "crazy money" needed to get a deal sorted.

Barcelona are an obvious destination – especially as his best friend in the Spanish national team squad is Lamine Yamal – but the finances again are an issue. The Athletic report: "As usual with Barcelona, things aren’t easy. They cannot afford his signing as things stand, as they first need to fill a €130m (£110m) hole in their accounts before the end of the month. If that’s fixed, then Barca will need to make a significant sale before considering a signing of this magnitude."

Undoubtedly, Williams is one of the most exciting players available on the market right now but it remains to be seen if any teams can afford to sign him this summer.