Aston Villa are reportedly keen on signing Villarreal attacking midfielder Alex Baena this summer as Unai Emery eyes a reunion with his former player.
The 22-year-old is enjoying an impressive season thus far, scoring five goals and providing 16 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
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It follows on from a productive campaign last year too as the Spaniard contributed 12 goals and six assists in 48 outings, and so he has certainly established himself as a key figure for Villarreal with his influence and impact in the final third.
With two caps for Spain to his name, Baena appears to have a bright future ahead of him, and it’s been suggested that the next stage of that future could involve Villa.
According to Relevo, Baena, who is under contract with the La Liga outfit until 2028, is a target for Villa this summer as Emery’s interest in signing him dates back to last year, while it’s added that the player himself would be delighted to work with the Basque coach again.
It’s noted that much will depend on our ability to qualify for the Champions League as we look to fend off Tottenham and secure fourth place in the Premier League this season, while it will likely cost around €50-60m to prise him away from Villarreal, as per his release clause.
Additionally, time will tell if exits will be needed to facilitate a signing of this magnitude, while Nicolo Zaniolo’s loan stint coming to an end may open up a spot in the squad that will need to be addressed.
Nevertheless, both Emery and Monchi are said to be keen admirers, but with Baena’s current focus on finishing the season well with Villarreal, it remains to be seen if a deal can be done this summer.
There’s certainly a lot to like about the Spaniard’s game, most notably that creative streak that has developed this season in particular, and while he’ll add quality to the squad if a move were to materialise, Emery knows what he can provide and so he’s likely to be a good fit in our system and structure too.
Based on the report above, there are still a number of hurdles to overcome if a potential move gathers pace, but for Villa, the main focus now is finishing the season strongly and achieving our objectives, which in turn will help convince our priority targets to join us and strengthen us further.
