Eyeing a return to the transfer market yet again this summer, Aston Villa are now reportedly keen to beat Barcelona in the race to sign an attacking addition worth £48m.
Aston Villa transfer news
After selling Jhon Duran for a hefty fee in the January transfer window, Aston Villa decided to lay down a marker. In came Marcus Rashford, in came Marco Asensio and in came Axel Disasi all on loan as the Villans set their sights on the Premier League‘s top four. If recent cameos are anything to go by, it was job well done by those at Villa Park.
Rashford and Asensio put on a short show in their respective debuts against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, with the latter particularly silky. All of a sudden, the depth of Unai Emery‘s frontline is worthy of a place in the Champions League for a second season on the bounce.
Stacked with Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen, Morgan Rogers, Rashford, Asensio and Leon Bailey – just to name a few – Aston Villa look unstoppable going forward on paper. But they’re seemingly not done there.
According to The Boot Room, Aston Villa are now keen to sign Nico Williams ahead of Barcelona and Premier League rivals Arsenal this summer. The Athletic Bilbao winger lit up Euro 2024, but has struggled to find his best form ever since. Aware of what he can do when firing on all cylinders, however, Villa could yet trigger his reported £48m release clause.
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The Villa boss is interested in signing a defender who he believes could become a key player.
A move which considers Emery’s long-term options to replace loanees such as Rashford and Asensio, Williams could quickly rediscover his red-hot Euros form at Villa Park this summer, should he complete a move.
“Relentless” Williams needs big move
After scoring eight and assisting a stunning 19 goals last season, Williams has since followed that up with four goals and five assists in the current campaign in what has been a frustrating drop-off. At just 22 years old, however, clubs in pursuit of his signature have seemingly shown much-needed patience and remain in the race to welcome the winger.
Following a disappointing season, the Spaniard should look to depart as soon as possible this summer and earn the big move that many believed he’d earn after Euro 2024 last year.
Receiving plenty of praise even amid his struggles at times in recent months, analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed Williams a “relentless dribbler” at the beginning of the year.
Whether that sees Aston Villa swoop in remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Emery certainly knows how to get the best out of exciting talents of Williams’ calibre.
