Aston Villa could renew their interest in Unai Emery’s former Arsenal playmaker Matteo Guendouzi during the summer transfer window with a Premier League return still on the cards for the Marseille star, according to the Daily Mail (live blog, 2.34pm).
How to judge Emery’s first transfer window as Aston Villa coach? Mixed, perhaps. Some good, some bad.
On the upside, Villa snapped up one of Europe’s most underrated left-backs – Alex Moreno arriving from Real Betis – while signing the exciting Jhon Duran from MLS. The Midland giants also succeeded in getting Frederic Guilbert, Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba off the books.
On the other hand, however, reported interest in the likes of Nico Williams, Luiz Henrique, Gerard Deulofeu and Jack Harrison failed to turn into anything, with Emery forced to re-call Bertrand Traore from a loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir with his calls for a high-quality wideman going unanswered.
Aston Villa also failed to back their boss with a ball-playing central midfielder. Though not for a lack of trying.
Aston Villa could still reunite Unai Emery with former Arsenal ace Matteo Guendouzi
“The focus for Aston Villa is Guendouzi. Yes, absolutely they want this player,” Fabrizio Romano told his House of Champions podcast. “Unai Emery is in love with this player.”
As Romano pointed out, dealing with Marseille is never easy. Aston Villa wanted to pay around £26 million. The Ligue 1 giants value their poodle-haired France international at around £44 million, however (90Min).
The Mail reports that Aston Villa will ‘weigh up’ a new approach for Guendouzi in the summer. In the hope that Marseille soften their stance when they have more time to scour the market for a replacement.
Money is unlikely to be too much of an issue, despite Guendouzi’s near-£50 million price-tag. Bankrolled by billionaires Wes Edens and Nayef Sawiris, Villa are one of the richest and most ambitious clubs in England these days.
“He was very young,” Emery said of Guendouzi during their time together at Arsenal; the one-time PSG starlet becoming a first-team player while still a teenager in North London.
“His wish to adapt very quickly, as well as his quality, is very good for us. He started playing and training with (the first-team). His progress during the season was amazing.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
