Wayne Rooney has previously said something about Nico Williams that will leave Aston Villa supporters blown away.
It’s been an incredible start to the summer transfer window for Aston Villa, who – like many other clubs – are showing ambition.
Although they’ve sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus, with Moussa Diaby’s departure also said to be imminent, Unai Emery has still added serious quality to his squad.
The Spaniard has used Villa’s status as a Champions League side to lure the likes of Ian Maatsen and Samuel Iling-Junior to the club however, their most ambitious move yet would be capturing Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
Villa are one of the clubs named in the race to sign the 22-year-old, alongside Spanish giants Barcelona, while he was also Emery’s ‘top target’ last summer before he signed Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen.
Williams – who is fresh from winning Euro 2024 with Spain and scoring in the final against England – has seen his stock skyrocket even further, making his release clause of £49 million a potential bargain for one club.
Emery will hope to make amends this summer by pulling off the outrageous signing, with Wayne Rooney’s insight giving Villa fans all the more reason to feel excited.
Wayne Rooney compared Aston Villa target Nico Williams to Cristiano Ronaldo
When speaking to The Times ahead of last Sunday’s final, former Manchester United striker Rooney spoke about the threat that wingers Williams and Lamine Yamal would pose to England.
It was a recurring theme throughout the tournament whereby the Spanish duo decimated opposition defences with their pace and quick feet. That was no different against England as Yamal assisted Williams for the opener, cancelled out by a thunderous Cole Palmer strike before Mikel Oyarzabal scored in the 86th minute to break English hearts.
Rooney’s comments, in particular, foreshadowed what was to come for the Three Lions and explained why Villa are desperate to sign the Bilbao winger.
Comparing Williams to his former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney said: “Williams, for me, is exceptional. He reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo when Cristiano was young. He’s a big lad, he’ll take the ball and sometimes tries too much but usually makes the right decisions. He is an incredible threat in one-on-one situations and scores goals as well. England need to be really careful with him.”
Nico Williams would be a statement signing for Aston Villa
Drawing comparisons to one of the greatest of all time just demonstrates what a talented player he is and in beating fierce competition to his signature, Villa would be sending a statement out to their rivals.
A deal is currently nowhere near being completed and the prospect of playing with Yamal at Barcelona could entice Williams to join the Spanish giants, although their financial situation makes that increasingly difficult.
At this stage, it remains to be seen which club trigger his release clause and lands him however, with Emery a huge admirer of the incredible winger, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Monchi’s negotiation skills prise Williams to Birmingham, in what would be the deal of the summer.
