Aston Villa are reportedly considering making an offer of around €30m to try and prise Matteo Guendouzi away from Marseille.
After his arrival in November, Unai Emery has now had a couple of months to assess the options at his disposal in the current squad and identify where we can bring in more quality and improve.
Given he’s expected to be fully backed by the Villa hierarchy this month and again in the summer, reinforcements are expected, but the Spaniard has stressed previously we will only make signings if they improve what we already have.
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While Villa do have several options across midfield already, consistency continues to be a major problem us, as seen in our recent performances against Wolves and Stevenage.
Particularly as he continues to try and implement his ideas and style, there will be areas in which Emery concedes that new faces are needed to replace – or at the very least challenge – those already in the squad.
According to RMC Sport, Villa are ready to make a first offer of around €30m for Guendouzi, a player Emery knows well of course given their previous stint working together at Arsenal, while it’s added that we might be willing to go up to €40m including bonuses if necessary.
It’s stressed that while there is no agreement in place yet, Emery is trying to convince the 23-year-old over a reunion and that Marseille could be open to an exit if the right offer comes in.
Guendouzi has scored eight goals and provided 17 assists in 78 appearances for Marseille, while he has one goal in seven caps at senior level for France.
There is no doubt that he has developed his game significantly since his last spell in England, and given the characteristics and versatility that he could provide Emery, it could be an astute addition.
While Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz have seemingly established themselves as the first-choice pairing in the centre of our midfield, John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Sanson have been used in a wider role. In turn, it remains to be seen if the signing Guendouzi would be as a replacement for potential outgoings or simply to give us a new dynamic in that area of the pitch.
Villa do have plenty of options in that department, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is quality in depth available to Emery, especially if certain individuals don’t have the attributes to deliver what he asks for.
In turn, Guendouzi is a player he knows well, perhaps fits his ideas and style better, and so it remains to be seen if an agreement can be reached between all parties this month for a move to materialise.