Aston Villa have been informed that one of their transfer targets could be offloaded this summer as Unai Emery aims to strengthen his squad.
The summer transfer window will be critical with Aston Villa aiming to continue their progression.
Unai Emery delivered Champions League football to B6 in his first full season in charge and to prepare for Europe’s elite competition, he’ll need strength in depth.
Although there are growing concerns regarding PSR, Monchi and Emery must replenish the squad with talent as Villa suffered from a long list of injuries last term.
Central midfield is a position the Spaniard is looking at improving as links have been drawn to Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher while Douglas Luiz could leave Villa Park.
Gallagher isn’t the only target with Emery reportedly keen on signing Frenchman Matteo Guendouzi, a player he signed during his time at Arsenal.
Lazio’s sporting director is willing to let Matteo Guendouzi leave
Emery signed Guendouzi at the Emirates in 2018 when he was 19-years-old and now, he wants to be reunited with him at Aston Villa.
It was reported [via Birmingham Live] that the club were pushing to sign the 25-year-old permanently with his current club Lazio demanding €30 million (£25 million).
Now, Italian outlet Corriello dello Sport have claimed that Guendouzi wants to leave the Serie A giants and sporting director Angelo Fabiani has admitted he will listen to offers for the midfielder.
As per the report, Fabiani said: “Then if offers were to arrive, we will take them into consideration. When he arrived, he knew perfectly well who the players were, he gave his approval It was the least we could do for the fans.”
A combative defensive midfielder, once described by Alan Shearer as a “warrior” during his time at Arsenal, Guendouzi played 46 times in all competitions as Lazio finished seventh in 2023/24.
Matteo Guendouzi would improve Aston Villa’s defensive record
Guendouzi has been described as a player everyone wants to play with but no one wants to play against due to his style of play.
Known for his ability to win midfield battles and his calmness in possession, the Frenchman doesn’t shirk the physical challenges and has the passing range to unlock defences from deep.
At Aston Villa, Emery plays a double pivot, usually consisting of Luiz and Boubacar Kamara, but since the latter sustained a season-ending injury in February, the Villans have suffered defensively.
In their final 14 matches without Kamara, the Midlands giants conceded a whopping 29 goals, suffering a 5-0 hammering against Crystal Palace on the final day.
If Emery is to improve his side defensively next term and still play a double pivot in midfield, a player like Guendouzi could see them achieve greater success in that regard.
In the Serie A last term, he averaged 3.6 balls recovered, 1 tackle per game and won 2.6 duels, showcasing his qualities as a defensive screen and one that could make the difference at Villa.
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