Emiliano Buendia is reportedly set to leave Aston Villa to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan this week, with an option to buy included in the agreement between the two clubs.
The 28-year-old has battled back from a serious knee injury that he suffered on the eve of last season to force his way back into Unai Emery’s plans, making 19 appearances across all competitions so far this year.
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However, he has been limited to a bit-part role having totalled just 464 minutes in those outings, and having fallen down the pecking order during his absence, question marks have been raised over his future at Villa for some time.
According to Fabrizio Romano, a deal has now been agreed with Leverkusen which will see Buendia join the Bundesliga giants on loan for the remainder of the campaign, with an option to buy included in the agreement worth €20m, as added by Romano.
The Argentine playmaker is said to have agreed to the move and will undergo his medical shortly, while he will sign a contract extension before he departs given his current deal runs until next summer.
It’s a sensible strategy from a Villa perspective for various reasons, with the contract extension strengthening our position when it comes to a potential future sale and being able to demand a significant fee if he’s under contract until June 2027.
Buendia will no doubt benefit from the move as he will have a better chance of securing a more prominent role, and a return to form to showcase his quality will either send a message to Emery that he can still play a part for us, or ultimately attract more interest and perhaps seal a big-money transfer to Leverkusen or elsewhere for us to recoup a decent fee.
It will be a shame to see him leave as he’s been a popular figure amongst the Villa supporters with his passion and determination on and off the pitch, and the knee injury feels even crueler at this point as it has played a big part in how his time with us has played out.
It remains to be seen if he’s played his last game in a Villa shirt or not, but it would be beneficial for all concerned if Buendia’s touted loan move is a success, and we’ll potentially see in the summer whether or not he returns or seals a permanent transfer to move on.
