Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is working hard to convince a free agent to join his side ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, and could be winning the battle according to the latest reports.
Villa among the busiest Premier League sides this summer
Aston Villa’s squad will have a very different look to it come the new Premier League season, with the club having already signed eight new faces and showing little sign of slowing down in the month before the deadline.
Amadou Onana has been the headline addition, arriving for £50m from Everton, while they also signed Ian Maatsen from Chelsea in a deal worth £37.5m.
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The Midlands outfit have made several smaller signings too, with Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea arriving from Juventus in part exchange for midfielder Douglas Luiz, while Ross Barkley joined from Luton Town after he was relegated with the Hatters.
Elsewhere, they have brought back duo Jadon Philogene and Cameron Archer after both spent 12 months away with Hull City and Sheffield United respectively, and they also poached Everton young talent Lewis Dobbin. Now, they are being linked with a move for a much more experienced player.
Villa chasing experienced free agent addition
That comes after it emerged that Aston Villa are one of the sides in contact with former Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto over a potential move to Villa Park this summer. The Spaniard has spent 11 years with the Barcelona first team after coming through the youth system, and has appeared 373 times for the Blaugrana in the process.
But his contract came to an end this summer and the club opted not to retain the 32-year-old, meaning that he will be playing football away from the Camp Nou for the first time in his career come the 2024/25 season.
And Aston Villa would like that to be at Villa Park, according to one report. As per Spanish outlet Sport [Via Sport Witness] the Premier League side are “very interested” in the versatile Spaniard, who can play at both right back and in central midfield.
They claim that Emery is “very close to convincing” his compatriot to make the switch to Villa despite interest from Ajax in his services. Indeed, Roberto “likes the Premier League”, while Villa would likely be able to offer a better financial package than Ajax, with the Midlands outfit prepared to spend much more on player wages than the Amsterdam side.
|
Aston Villa & Ajax top earners (via capology) |
|||
|
Aston Villa |
Ajax |
||
|
Player |
Wage per week |
Player |
Wage per week |
|
Boubacar Kamara |
£150,000 |
Jordan Henderson |
£75,000 |
|
Youri Tielemans |
£150,000 |
Steven Bergwijn |
£74,000 |
|
Ollie Watkins |
£130,000 |
Steven Berghuis |
£65,000 |
|
Lucas Digne |
£120,000 |
Brian Brobbey |
£45,000 |
With seven La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies to his name, Roberto would certainly bring plenty of winning experience to Unai Emery’s side, while he has made 62 appearances in Europe’s elite competition, which would also be a bonus.
If it is experience that the Villans are chasing, Roberto’s ability to perform at a high level still would certainly give him the edge over other options that the club have been linked with this summer.
