Madrid, Nov 28 (IANS): Athletic Club Bilbao's Spain international winger Nico Williams sent out a message that will calm the nerves of his club's fans who have been worried that he could move in the summer.

The younger of the Williams brothers is out of contract at the end of June 2024, and he will be able to negotiate with other clubs from January 1, reports Xinhua.

In the summer it looked as if he was close to signing a new contract with Athletic Club, but the season has continued with rumors of progress in the contract talks combined with talk of interest from the Premier League, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Speaking to the TV cameras after his side's 1-1 draw away to Girona on Monday night, Nico gave brief declarations which implied he is close to a new deal.

"I am happy here and people can relax. I hope we can qualify for Europe next season," commented the forward.

Meanwhile, Athletic's Director of Sport Mikel Gonzalez was also optimistic over the future of the 21-year-old, who has 95 appearances for his club and 11 for Spain.

"There is a lot of noise about Nico, but that is normal. We see him very happy with Athletic and when a player wants to remain at a club and the club wants him to stay, the normal things are that he stays," commented Gonzalez.