Aston Villa have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Athletic Club attacker Nico Williams, who they wanted to sign in a club-record deal.
According to a report from Daily Mail, Aston Villa were hoping to sign Spanish international attacker Nico Williams in a club-record £45 million deal this month. But the player has turned down a move to the West Midlands club.
The 20-year-old is highly rated around Europe and he has a big future ahead of him. The youngster has the potential to develop into a top-class player, and he could have been a quality long-term acquisition for the Premier League side.
Nico Williams has a release clause of £45 million in his current contract. And Aston Villa were prepared to trigger his buyout clause in order to sign him this month in what would have been a club-record deal.
However, the Spanish international has now informed the West Midlands club that he wishes to continue with the Basque club, and he won’t move to the Premier League. Furthermore, Aston Villa were prepared to offer him a lucrative package in terms of wages as well. Apparently, the 20-year-old would have earned £120,000 a week if he had joined Aston Villa.
The 20-year-old’s decision to turn down a move to the West Midlands club will certainly come as a blow. And it remains to be seen whether Villa can bring in a striker before the January window closes. It is no surprise that Aston Villa looking to sign a quality attacker, especially after the departure of Danny Ings.
The experienced forward was sold to West Ham United earlier this month, and Ollie Watkins remains the only reliable attacker at the club right now. But Aston Villa have also shown interest in other forwards, including Anthony Gordon.
Unai Emery will be hoping to guide Aston Villa to a strong finish. And the West Midlands club will have to improve their squad in order for that to happen. Bringing in a reliable goal scorer this month could make a world of difference to an already improved Aston Villa side.
The West Midlands club have improved a lot since the arrival of the Spanish manager, and they have managed to beat clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in recent outings. Meanwhile, the report adds that Aston Villa will now shift their attention towards other targets. And Real Betis attacker Luiz Henrique happens to be on Unai Emery’s radar.
