Having been heavily linked with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams this past summer, Aston Villa could be alerted by the latest update on his future.
The 21-year-old is widely considered to be one of the top young talents in Spain, while he has contributed one goal and five assists in 10 La Liga appearances so far this season.
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Having come through the youth ranks at Athletic and established himself as a pivotal figure for them as well as being seen as a big part of their future, he has also earned 10 caps for Spain in a clear indication that he has a bright future ahead of him.
However, with his current contract set to expire in June 2024, his agent has revealed that he has yet to agree on new terms, and in fact, the club haven’t even yet put forward a formal offer to him.
“His contract will expire in June. We should not forget that situation,” he told El Correo, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano. “Athletic have known what Nico wants for a long time but there’s still no formal bid on the table to sign a new deal. We’re still waiting.”
Villa were heavily linked with a move for Williams back in January, and that lingered over to the summer transfer window too, with Relevo reporting that we were prepared to pay his €50m release clause, but ultimately he opted to prioritise his future in Bilbao rather than leave his boyhood club.
That was a decision he reached even despite a reported meeting with Unai Emery, as per Revelo, but it was clear through that persistent talk of interest that he was a priority for the Villa boss, who certainly wanted him and felt as though he would be an important signing for us.
So, with uncertainty still rife over his future given his current contract situation as we close in on the final six months of his deal, will that open the door for Villa to try again?
Particularly after the injury suffered by Emiliano Buendia and the ongoing absence of Jacob Ramsey, it was an area of the squad that we needed to address for this season, and so the season-long loan signing of Nicolo Zaniolo has undoubtedly helped to provide a solution.
The sale of Jaden Philogene and the loan exit of Philippe Coutinho has created more space in the squad for new wingers, with doubts over Bertrand Traore’s future at Villa given his contract expires next summer too.
Coupled with Moussa Diaby playing alongside Ollie Watkins in the final third rather than out wide, that leaves Leon Bailey as other option to play wide right, as well as John McGinn who has been excellent there too, and so as we look to continue to improve, strengthen and raise the level of the squad to compete at the top, there is certainly a gap there which Williams could fill.
Time will tell though if he ultimately reaches an agreement with Athletic in the coming months to rule that option out, but given the intensity and substance behind the transfer links between Villa and the Spanish international over the last two transfer windows now, it could very well be one to monitor either in January or next summer.
That said, it could also be his agent’s way of trying to kick-start talks and get the best deal for his client, and so it will be interesting to see where his futures lies.