Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams is reportedly set to commit his future to the La Liga outfit while turning down a move to Premier League giants Aston Villa.
Good news for Athletic. And not just because one of the most exciting young forwards in Spain appears set to stay at rebuff Aston Villa’s advances and stay at San Mames for at least another two years, as reported by Cadena Cope.
Athletic’s fabled transfer policy – one that limits them to signing only players born or raised in the Basque region – means finding adequate replacements for talents like Nico Williams is even more difficult than it otherwise would be.
The sigh of relief emanating from San Mames can probably be heard 1,500 miles away in Birmingham, then, as long as the wind is blowing in the right direction.
According to The Athletic, Williams was one of Unai Emery’s top targets this summer. Aston Villa were willing to trigger his £43 million release clause, while offering the Spain international a contract worth £115,000-a-week.
Even the presence of former Sevilla director Monchi in the Aston Villa boardroom will not be enough to force Athletic into a sale, however; Cadena Cope reporting that Williams is likely to stay put until the summer of 2025.
Aston Villa to miss out on Nico Williams
Williams will, however, retain the 50 million euros release clause in his contract. A fee that could soon look like a bargain if the jet-heeled 21-year-old can build upon an outstanding breakthrough campaign at Athletic. He scored nine goals and set up six more under former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde in 2022/23.
“In one-on-ones, he is practically unstoppable,” says Nico’s older brother and fellow Athletic forward Inaki. “(His rise) is incredible. He is showing that he is (improving), he is gaining experience. In front of goal, he is improving a lot.
“He is a talent. A rough diamond. He has a lot of room for improvement and hopefully he can continue to improve.”
Aston Villa have also been left frustrated in pursuit of the PSG-bound duo Manuel Ugarte and Marco Asensio. They also face competition from Bayern Munich for Emery’s former Villarreal defender Pau Torres.
Athletic, meanwhile, recently tied Oihan Sancet down to a colossal nine-year contract amid links with Liverpool.
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