Aston Villa make £115,000 per week offer for ‘number one target’, pundit backs Emery to sign LaLiga star

Aston Villa have been in superb form since Unai Emery joined the club back in October and to reward their performances, they will play in Europe next season for the first time in 13 years.

In order to keep this strong momentum going, the Villans will need to welcome some new recruits over the threshold in order to bolster their squad and keep up with the rest of the Premier League’s top teams. With the transfer window now open, Emery and his side are linked to some exciting deals — let’s take a look at the latest summer updates.

Villa make £115k per week offer for ‘number one target’

Villa have identified Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams as their ‘number one target’ for this summer, according to Marca. Emery had shown interest in the winger during the winter but Williams reportedly wanted to wait until the end of the season to make a firm decision on his future, with just one year remaining on his current deal.

The report states that Villa are rivalling Athletic’s new contract proposal with one of their own, which is worth about €7 million (£5.9m) a year, or £115,000 per week, which is ‘well above’ what his current club can offer him.

Aston Villa agree terms with Monchi

According to Football Insider, Villa have agreed terms to bring Monchi to the club as their new sporting director. They have been in talks with Sevilla over paying the Spaniard’s £1.7 million release clause after making him a priority move this transfer window.

Emery reportedly pushed the deal through in order to be reunited with his countryman, after the two previously worked together at Sevilla between 2013 and 2016. Monchi’s notice period with the LaLiga club is three months but Aston Villa are hoping this will be waived after they trigger his release clause.

Pundit’s take on Joao Felix to Villa link

Frank McAvennie has weighed in on the links between Villa and João Felix this summer. The Atlético Madrid striker was offered to several Premier League clubs earlier this month, including the Villans, and they are refusing to rule out a move for the Portugal international.

McAvennie believes Villa would only improve with Felix in their ranks and it could help them replicate West Ham’s recent success in the Europa Conference League.

“They are making all the right noises, they are a huge club and deserve to be up there with the big teams, so it would not surprise me to see them challenging for trophies,” he told Football Insider. “I like Villa as a team, and they will only get stronger if they sign Felix.”