Sauber's Marcus Ericsson says he is speaking to most teams with a vacant seat for 2017 and admits Williams would be top of his list of what is currently available.
Ericsson is in his third season in F1, having joined Sauber from Caterham after his rookie campaign in 2014. The Swede finished in the top ten on five occasions last year but Sauber is yet to record a point in 2016 and currently sits bottom of the constructors' championship.
"Nothing decided yet, but hopefully soon I will know what will happen. Aim number one is to stay in F1 and in the best possible car," Ericsson is quoted as saying by F1i. "We're speaking to some different teams, including Sauber, but there's not that many seats left so let's see in the coming weeks."
Ericsson then replied with a yes each time when asked if he had spoken to Williams, Renault and Force India about a drive next year. When asked if Williams would be the ideal destination of the teams with a vacancy, he simply said: "Yeah..."
But his discussions are not solely limited to the midfield teams, with Ericsson also admitting talks with Sauber's nearest rivals Manor as he attempts to keep his options as wide open as possible.
"We've been speaking a bit with them [Manor]. They were there as well, basically it's all the teams that's left. Obviously it's not myself but my management, and I think it's important to keep communication with all the teams and see what's happening.
"Now I'm going into my fourth season next year, so I'm really eager to be in a car where I can be a bit more competitive and show what I can do. I feel like I've taken steps all the time as a driver and perform on a better level but I haven't had the chance to really show it yet. So I'm really, really eager to be in a package where I can really fight for points on a regular basis."
Much has been made of Ericsson's links with Longbow Finance, who purchased Sauber over the summer, which seems to make it likely he will stay put at the Hinwil team.