Reports in Spain claim that Aston Villa officials have arrived in Spain for talks with Sevilla to try and reach an agreement for Monchi.
Speculation has been rife in recent days that Villa are closing in on the appointment of the 54-year-old, as it comes shortly after the announcement that Christian Purslow has stepped down as CEO and director.
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The Guardian reported on Monday that Villa had agreed terms with Monchi to take up a position with us, but negotiations were ongoing with Sevilla to reach an agreement on his exit given the presence of a release clause in his contract.
In an attempt to close the deal, Marca have now reported that Villa officials have arrived in Seville to speak with their opposite numbers, albeit no names are specified, with a meeting said to have taken place during the morning as they held negotiations.
It’s added that not only is there the release clause to consider, but also the payment terms in relation to that and that he must give three months notice to leave the La Liga side.
Naturally, Villa and Monchi will hope to find a resolution which doesn’t prevent him from starting work at the club until mid-September, and so there are seemingly still important obstacles to overcome.
Nevertheless, it’s hoped that the ongoing discussions ultimately result in compromises being reached which all parties concerned are happy with, and one that allows Monchi to join us immediately and get to work in offering his support to Unai Emery over the summer transfer window.
Villa have opted to make significant changes to the management infrastructure this off-season, with Chris Heck expected to take on business and commercial responsibilities after being appointed as V Sports’ President of Business Operations last month.
Monchi is likely to play a fundamental role on the sporting side as a director, but Villa must firstly reach an agreement with Sevilla to get the green light to appoint him, and hopefully the trip to Seville proves to be a decisive step in the right direction.