Aston Villa could be set to make a move for another defender this summer, with Unai Emery reportedly pushing to sign an experienced player who is heading towards free agent status.
Villa will need to be clever this summer
Aston Villa may well be flying in the Premier League this season, but they may find this summer significantly more of a challenge. Emery's side currently sit fourth despite a 4-0 hammering at the hands of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
With fifth place likely to be enough to secure Champions League football next season, they appear to be well set to be playing in Europe's premier competition for the first time since 1982, with the Midlands outfit holding a nine-point advantage over Manchester United with just ten games left of the season.
However, it is not all rosy at Villa Park. Last week, the club announced major losses as a result of player transfers. Spending over £90m over the summer, they will come under pressure to stay within financial fair play rules this summer.
"The Club has reported a loss for the year of £119.6m after tax", an official statement read. "This compares with a small profit of £0.3m in the prior year. It is important to note that these figures are in line with the strategic business plan, and we continue to operate within the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules."
There are of course two solutions to this issue. One would be to sell players, with several stars including Douglas Luiz already strongly linked with moves away.
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Alternatively, they could look to strengthen their current squad on a shoestring budget, and to that end they appear to be making good progress.
Emery driving free agent move
Emery has already looked to La Liga once to bolster his backline, bringing in Pau Torres from former club Villarreal last summer. Now, he looks set to return to the Spanish top flight to make a move for Atletico Madrid defender Mario Hermoso, according to reports.
The Spaniard is out of contract with the Rojablanco this summer, and is the subject of plenty of interest from across Europe. According to Sport Witness though, it is the Villans that lead the race for his signature should he depart the Spanish capital.
They claim that Villa sit in "pole position", largely because Emery personally "moved well in advance" to land the 28-year-old on a free transfer this summer, despite recent interest from clubs across Europe including Spanish giants Barcelona and Italian duo Juventus and AC Milan.
Villa's current defensive options
Player
Contract expires
Pau Torres
2028
Tyrone Mings
2026
Clement Lenglet
2024 (loan)
Diego Carlos
2026
Ezri Konsa
2028
Calum Chambers
2025
Kourtney Hause
2025
There is a twist though, as Atletico have "reopened talks" to keep the defender at the Wanda Metropolitano beyond this summer. Should they prove successful, all of Villa's hard work will come to nothing. However, should he opt to move on, he could well end up with Emery at Villa Park, while the move could hurt rivals Nottingham Forest with Atletico tipped to replace him with Forest centre-back Murillo.