Aston Villa still ‘monitoring’ €58m winger despite red flag seen by Chelsea

Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams is reportedly still a target for Aston Villa as they plot a summer swoop, despite previously withdrawing interest.

The 21-year-old winger, one of Spain’s most impressive players so far at UEFA EURO 2024, has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League. Villa have been particularly mentioned as a potential destination but Williams’ huge £250,000-per-week demands were enough of a red flag to step away.

That’s until now, it’s claimed, as Football Insider reports Villa are continuing their pursuit of Williams. It’s stated that Unai Emery’s side are monitoring the wonderkid’s progress with Spain in Germany and are still considering making a move – even despite the prior, contrasting reports from elsewhere.

Williams’ most recent campaign was his best to date as he scored eight goals and made 19 assists in 37 matches across all competitions for Athletic. The season before that was also eye-opening as the powerful winger directly contributed to 15 goals in 43 appearances.

Already a 17-time senior Spain international with three goals, Williams is undoubtedly one of the best young talents in European football. One goal and one assist in three games at the Euros has upped his stock even further. His release clause of €58 million (£49.1 million) would be a snip as a result.

Aston Villa move for Chelsea target assessed

The Villans aren’t the only Premier League side to have shown an interest in Williams as Chelsea and Arsenal have also been linked as recently as this week. The gut feeling is the wage demands will be too high for Villa but the recent qualification for the UEFA Champions League could change things.

Another hurdle is Williams’ happiness at Athletic as he considers Bilbao home and plays alongside his brother, Iñaki Williams. There’s no rush on the winger’s side to make a transfer away, even with interest from a host of Champions League clubs.