Unai Emery and Monchi are poised to have a busy summer at Villa Park, with one of Aston Villa’s targets posing a similar transfer narrative to a popular name in B6.
After the highs of the 2023/24 campaign, Unai Emery and Monchi will join forces once more to strengthen the current squad at Villa Park.
Securing Champions League football with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League saw Aston Villa’s dreams come true, with attention now needing to be paid to the transfer window.
It’s set to be a crucial period for the Villans to prepare for the 2024/25 campaign, with depth and quality to be targeted, as a host of top talents have already been linked with a move to Villa Park.
One of those names is Villarreal attacker Alex Baena, who was handed the chance to shine with his boyhood club by Emery himself.
Could Aston Villa sign Alex Baena?
With a release clause of €60m (£51m), Baena is a player that is said to be of interest to Villa, as Sport Witness noted that Emery has ‘convinced Monchi’ to go all out for his former player.
It’s believed that the Midlands club could push for a price lower than the 24-year-old’s release clause, with Villa said to be in pole position to sign the playmaker when the report surfaced earlier this month.
Emery is clearly interested in reuniting with his former scholar at Villarreal, in what could see the Villa boss repeat a transfer masterclass of last summer.
Unai Emery could repeat Pau Torres masterclass by signing Alex Baena
Once lauded as ‘sensational’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Emery will be open to capturing Baena from his previous club after seeing how successful the signing of Pau Torres was last summer.
The centre-back arrived from Villarreal due to Emery’s orders and hasn’t looked back since making the move to the Premier League, seeing the boss gel instantly with the defender.
Now, the Villa manager could repeat such a feat again with Baena, with there being a far lower risk in signing a player he has previously worked with, due to being able to understand the individual’s wants and needs with little fuss.
Coming from Villarreal’s academy, it was Emery who handed Baeana the shot at playing frequently in the club’s first team, where he has since thrived, becoming a key player in La Liga.
Having the capacity to play multiple positions in attack, the 24-year-old could be the ideal capture for Emery’s squad, who will be eager to add star quality ahead of their Champions League adventure.
Baena racked up 23 goal contributions for Villareal over the 2023/24 campaign, hinting at just what he could offer the Villans if he was to follow his former manager to the Premier League.
After seeing the rave reviews of Torres’ first season at Villa, there should be some inspiration for Emery to search for talent at his former club once more, with the chemistry between manager and player making for a smaller period of adaptation.
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