Nico Williams will be targeted again by Aston Villa this summer after Unai Emery’s failed attempt to land the Athletic Bilbao attacker in January.
Emery is desperate to land a winger and Williams, who was part of Spain’s World Cup squad, was his first choice – only for the 20-year-old to baulk at the prospect of leaving Athletic in mid-season.
Yet this is unlikely to dissuade Villa, who will back Emery heavily in the summer as he tries to reshape the squad to suit his style of play.
Both Nico and elder brother Inaki Williams play for Bilbao, with the younger sibling claiming six goals and six assists this term. He has a release clause around the £50million mark and has a little less than 18 months remaining on his contract. He can also operate on either flank.
With Williams’ contract running down, there is always the prospect of Bilbao offering him a new deal before the end of the campaign and increasing the buy-out clause accordingly.
Emery would like at least one tall, athletic wide man and at 6ft and with good pace, Williams fits the bill perfectly.
The former Arsenal and Paris St Germain manager also hinted after last weekend’s 4-2 home defeat by Leicester that he is looking for players capable of working in a possession-based approach.
Despite a fine start under Emery, his side have found things a little tricky at Villa Park, where they have been defeated by Liverpool and Leicester in the league and drawn with Wolves, as well as suffering a shock reverse against League Two club Stevenage in the FA Cup.