Man Utd, Arsenal targets among five Athletic Club stars who could follow Valverde out

Ernesto Valverde has announced he will be leaving Athletic Bilbao at the end of the season and his third spell in charge.

Valverde’s reputation had taken a hit after two-and-a-half years with Barcelona, but he has restored some pride since returning to Athletic Club in 2022.

The Basque outfit have finished progressively higher in La Liga under his watch, coming eighth in his first season, fifth in his second and fourth in his third.

Currently ninth in the Spanish standings, that pattern looks about to end, but Valverde – the manager with the most wins in Athletic’s history – will be able to hold his head high when he leaves.

Only the three usual suspects – Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – gained more points in La Liga than Valverde’s side over the first three seasons of his reign.

But this summer will mark the end of an era for the 62-year-old. And in turn, could it be the end of an era for some of his players as well?

With their Basque transfer policy, Athletic can count upon more loyalty than most in their squad. But it could be time for some of their top talent to assess their futures.

We’ve picked out five members of their squad that could attract interest in the summer.

The biggest star in Athletic’s squad is Nico Williams , who lit up Euro 2024 with Spain and will be hoping to have a similar impact at the 2026 World Cup if he can recover from injury in time.

Williams signed a massive contract last summer, committing his future to Athletic until 2035. In turn, he now has a release clause in the region of €100m, according to reports.

That could deter Williams’ suitors after a season in which he’s only scored four goals. Historically, he has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, but a Premier League move has been touted too.

Arsenal, who would benefit from an upgrade on the left wing, are among those to have been mentioned.

Simon is Athletic’s first-choice goalkeeper and a regular servant of the Spanish national team too.

After being in Bilbao all his career, keeping 84 clean sheets from 255 games along the way, could it be time for Simon to spread his wings elsewhere at the age of 28?

There is no release clause in his contract, which runs until 2029. That could complicate a move for Simon, but if he starts for Spain at the World Cup, it could boost his profile in front of any potential admirers.

Vivian has a chance of going to the World Cup with Spain this summer, having made 10 caps since 2024.

The centre-back is now in his fifth season with Athletic’s first team. Under contract until 2032, Vivian has been tentatively linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Last season was the best of Sancet’s career as he scored 17 goals from 36 games in all competitions, an impressive ratio for an attacking midfielder.

There has been a drop-off in his numbers this time around, but Sancet is still only 25 years old and has plenty of prime years ahead of him.

He is under contract in Bilbao until 2032, but that arrangement was signed three years ago. More recently, he has been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle.

Jauregizar has earned the most minutes of gametime among Athletic’s outfield players in all competitions this season.

The 22-year-old is close to reaching a century of appearances for his Athletic career and could have plenty more to come with a contract until 2031.

However, the likes of Aston Villa and Chelsea have started to be linked with the Spain under-21 international.