Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion may have received a boost in the hunt for Nico Williams, with Barcelona and Real Madrid reportedly ‘near to throwing in the towel’.
According to Sport, the La Liga duo are only interested in landing the forward on a free transfer, which is getting increasingly difficult.
The’soap opera’ that has developed around Williams, who is out of contract next summer and has yet to negotiate a new agreement, may be coming to an end, according to the newspaper.
Aston Villa and Brighton were among the clubs interested in signing Williams in the coming months, with him entitled to negotiate a pre-contract arrangement from January due to his expiring contract.
Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, is on the verge of convincing the player to sign a new contract with the club.
According to Sport’s source, which appears to be based on information acquired by Barcelona, conversations between Athletic and the player have advanced significantly in recent weeks.
They’ve devised a workable deal in which he extends his contract but agrees to a reduced release clause in the future. That is a notion that ‘benefits everyone’.
Everyone would include Aston Villa and Brighton, though, because the new deal would exclude Barcelona and Real Madrid, who were only interested in a free transfer.
The Premier League duo are still’very keen’ in Williams and are willing to pay a fee in January if he hasn’t signed a new contract by then.
Even if he does, their chances are improved because two potential significant contenders for his signing are poised to exit the contest.
