Aston Villa target Nico Williams now 'intrigued by project' at Villa Park | OneFootball

Aston Villa have been boosted in their pursuit of Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams as he is 'intrigued' by the project on offer at Villa Park, but transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT why boss Unai Emery is facing the prospect of a 'complicated situation' as he attempts to get the deal over the line.

Having qualified for the Europa Conference League, the Villans showed plenty of ambition during the summer window by forking out more than £80million for reinforcements.

Moussa Diaby was among the fresh faces to head to the Midlands, joining in a club-record deal worth £51.9milion from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, but Emery has set his sights on completing further business at the turn of the year.

Villa in battle to win race for Williams' signature

Villa will be among the sides at the front of the queue to land Williams if he becomes available in January, according to 90min, but Athletic Bilbao are confident that he will end speculation over his future by penning a new contract.

The report suggests the Villans have been joined by Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Juventus in waiting in the wings for the 21-year-old, who has racked up four assists during the early stages of the campaign, with the suitors eager to see how a stand-off over fresh terms plays out.

Williams will enter the final six months of his Athletic Bilbao deal at the turn of the year, which is understood to be worth just shy of £60,000-per-week, and he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside Spain at the turn of the year.

Villa were left frustrated in their attempts to land the winger in January as he snubbed the opportunity to bring the curtain down on his San Mames career by heading to the Premier League despite Emery being willing to activate his £45million release clause and put a long-term contract worth more than £120,000-per-week on the table.

Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte has warned that he expects the Villans to suffer another blow if they return to the negotiating table in the coming months as remaining with the La Liga outfit would be 'best for his career'.

Alex Crook, the talkSPORT reporter, previously told GIVEMESPORT that Williams is an exciting talent and moving for his services would make a lot of sense from Villa's point of view due to Emery's knowledge of the Spanish market.

Dean Jones update - Nico Williams

Although Jones is aware that Villa's resurgence under Emery's guidance has caught Williams' eye, he believes it will be difficult to persuade him to leave his boyhood club midway through the campaign.

The respected journalist understands that Athletic Bilbao are confident of tying the Spain international down to a new contract, further complicating matters as the Villans aim to raid the La Liga outfit.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

Villa eager to land World Cup winner

Villa are leading the race to sign Nahuel Molina if he opts to leave Atletico Madrid, according to Spanish sources, but they are facing competition as Manchester United are additional admirers of the right-back.

The report suggests Emery has set his sights on striking a January deal for the Argentina international, who added the World Cup winner's medal to his list of accolades last year, but his current employers are keen to stave off suitors by extending his contract and increasing the release clause.

Molina has shown that he is capable of being a threat in the attacking third of the pitch despite his priority being to keep the ball out of his own net, having racked up close to 40 goal contributions over the course of his senior club career.

Matty Cash, who has made the full-back slot his own since arriving at Villa Park from Nottingham Forest in a £16million deal, will see his position come under threat if the 25-year-old heads to the Midlands midway through the season.