The 19-year-old will not be offered a new deal by Barcelona upon the expiration of his contract this summer, and Villa may pounce when he’s available.
Nou Camp Barcelona
Aston Villa could look to Spanish giants Barcelona for one of their summer signings, and have identified 19-year-old defender Eric Montes as a possible capture as Los Cules are willing to let him leave on a free, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
Montes, who can operate at right back and in the middle of the defence, would presumably go straight into Villa’s academy if he were to sign and boost their U23 side, and would certainly represent an interesting capture if the Villans can convince him to sign at Villa Park.
While the first team understandably takes up the majority of the focus at Villa Park, their U23 side are in the Premier League 2 and finished seventh out of 12 last season, and how many of those players kick on and force their way into the first team remains to be seen.
It’s very possible that Montes would be one that finds himself on the fringes of the first-team at Villa Park, though his initial priority would indeed be with the U23 team in the hope to improve on that seventh placed position.
Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce
Under Steve Bruce, Aston Villa are expected to challenge for promotion in the 2017/18 season having failed to secure an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation from the top flight in 2016.
Villa – who initially started the season with Roberto Di Matteo in charge – finished their season in 13th, a whopping 18 points off the final play off spot, and many will be surprised if they don’t better that.
Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce
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