Ashley Williams has rejected offers from overseas in an effort to keep the Wales captaincy.

Williams, 34, spent last season on loan at Stoke City and has now become a free agent after his Everton contract expired.

The former Swansea City man knows Wales face a tough task to qualify for Euro2020, and Williams wants to be at his best to help his country.

"Everybody who knows me is aware of how passionate I am about playing for Wales and captaining the team," he told Sky Sports News.

"I've had offers from abroad and I'm not opposed to going elsewhere but staying in the UK is my priority - whether that be in the Premier League or the Championship.

"They are the leagues I need to be competing in to stay involved with Wales.

"It was difficult at Stoke and we didn't have the best of seasons but for me personally, it went well. It was a different challenge to the Premier League and difficult with the number of games, but I enjoyed it.

"I'm still in good shape and still able to do what I was doing six or seven years ago. I played 37 games last season and while it wasn't a great campaign, I think we still had the third highest number of clean sheets in the division."