Aston Villa reportedly face competition from Paris Saint-Germain for the signing of Marco Asensio, who will leave Real Madrid this summer.
The 27-year-old’s current contract will expire at the end of this month, and speculation has suggested that he will move on from the Bernabeu and begin a new chapter in his career.
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Villa have been heavily linked with a move, but Fabrizio Romano has now reported that a deal hasn’t yet been agreed between the parties, as PSG are pushing to agree terms through his agent, Jorge Mendes.
In turn, it remains to be seen if we are able to secure the Spaniard’s signing having seemingly tried to move quickly to get a deal done to kick-start our summer transfer window, or if he is instead swayed by the offer from the Ligue 1 giants who of course can offer him Champions League football and perhaps a more attractive financial offer.
Asensio featured 50 times for Real Madrid last season, scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists, and so with his creativity and goal threat combined with his technical quality and ability to fit into the style of play that Unai Emery is trying to implement, he would be an excellent addition as we try to improve the squad.
While it appears as though the Spanish playmaker is a priority for us this summer, time will tell if we are forced to quickly shift our attention to an alternative target if PSG do emerge as favourites to land his signature, as it would be ideal to bring in new signings sooner rather than later.
That would allow Emery to begin planning for next season as early as possible while also giving any new arrivals the maximum time to settle and adapt heading into a big campaign for us.
As per Romano earlier this week, Villa have submitted an offer to Asensio after negotiations took place and have been pushing to get the deal over the line, but it appears as though PSG’s interest continues to complicate our hopes of wrapping a move up.