Nico Williams to Aston Villa – Athletic’s very reliable local newspaper gives their take

Aston Villa’s chase for Athletic Club Bilbao star Nico Williams suddenly became a very strong rumour in the Spanish media.

Today, we’ve already seen claims saying the player is ‘close to packing his bags’ for Unai Emery’s side, as they made a ‘succulent offer’ to tempt him.

That news was delivered by major Spanish outlets such as Marca and Cope, and now it’s time to see what the Bilbao media is saying about Aston Villa’s pursuit.

El Correo feature a piece claiming Athletic had been starting talks to renew Williams’ contract, and the Premier League side’s move actually breaks into that process.

According to their sources, people from the 20-year-old’s entourage are telling him the best thing would be to stay at Athletic and develop for a few more years, regardless if on a short or long contract. The talks between the parties are said to be ‘fluid’ at this stage.

It’s said it would be a ‘devastating situation’ for the La Liga side to see him walk away, and it’s the youngster who has the last word on his future.

That’s a clear sign that the player may not be as close to Aston Villa as reported by the other outlets. El Correo is a respected outlet in Bilbao, with excellent Athletic Club sources.

They back up Aston Villa interest, even saying Unai Emery called the player in January and got a refusal at that time, but there’s obviously a belief there’s a reasonable chance Nico Williams will stay.