Aston Villa are reportedly targeting a summer move for Marco Asensio, and the Spaniard is said to be moving closer towards an exit from Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old will see his current contract with the Spanish giants expire at the end of next month, and so as things stand, he’s expected to become a free agent.
READ MORE: Emery on Villa stalwart set for talks over future next week
With 12 goals and eight assists in 50 appearances across all competitions this season, moving him to 61 goals and 32 assists in 285 outings for Real Madrid since he joined the club initially in 2015, he has continued to play an important role in their success over recent years having won 17 trophies.
However, as per Marca, it appears as though his time at the Bernabeu could be coming to an end, as it’s reported that following a meeting with the club, a renewal has become less likely and a decision will be made on his future next week, with the feeling that he could depart.
It’s explicitly added in the report that Unai Emery and Villa are keen on the Spanish playmaker, something that was touted earlier this month, and so it remains to be seen if we opt to swoop in and prise him to Villa Park this summer.
Asensio would arguably be a top signing given what he would add in terms of experience, mentality and technical ability, as he could help Emery continue to develop his style of play and brand of football while adding creative quality in the final third to make us more dynamic and dangerous.
Further, still only 27 years of age, the Spanish international still has plenty left to offer and on a free transfer, albeit likely with significant wages to consider, it seems like a sensible piece of business as we look to compete across multiple fronts next season, and hopefully in Europe too.
Time will tell if Asensio is Emery’s priority, but we’ll no doubt move quickly where possible and find out more when the Premier League season concludes on Sunday with a crunch encounter against Brighton, where we can seal our spot in the Europa Conference League for next year.