Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing a move to re-sign Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain, with a loan or permanent switch both under consideration.
The 29-year-old joined us on a temporary basis in January and went on to contribute eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances across all competitions.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Villa conclude pre-season with win vs Villarreal
While his initial impact upon arrival gave us a huge lift and he showcased his class and experience to make a positive impression, it has to be said that his form did fall off from that point onwards having failed to register any goal contributions in his final 12 games for us on all fronts as we ultimately fell short of our objectives.
However, Unai Emery evidently believes that he can have a crucial influence if he were to return, as The Telegraph report that Villa are now looking to re-sign Asensio, either in another loan deal or permanently as he has just one year remaining on his current PSG contract.
Given his quality, experience and versatility in the final third, Asensio would certainly be an important addition to the squad for a second time, and as noted above, if Emery feels he could play a pivotal role in our push for success this season, then we back the Basque coach’s judgment.
Nevertheless, it’s important not to ignore the dip in form last season and the impact the Spaniard had on shifting other players out of position, namely Morgan Rogers, and so it has to be questioned as to whether or not he would be good for the balance of the current squad.
From a financial perspective, Villa are looking to remain on the right side of PSR and reduce the wage bill to comply with UEFA’s SCR rules, and so unless Asensio is willing to take a big pay cut, it remains to be seen if an agreement can be reached.
Further, it would likely raise question marks over Emiliano Buendia’s future at Villa again after a positive pre-season, while other players continue to be linked with departures this summer, perhaps as part of the plan to make space for Asensio.
Time will tell what comes from the latest reports as Villa seemingly wish to bring Asensio back, but it’s absolutely vital that we get our recruitment spot on this summer as every signing must count and be the right fit for the squad.
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Looking like Ramsey being replaced by Asensio in. Great move for Villa from every point of view. Pure profit and Asensio hasn’t had the injury problems that Ramsey has had even though he is older.
I have said re sign him but I have to admit I hadn’t realised that he was on such a massive salary £300k plus a week so now I can understand the club’s dilemma I still beIieve that he is a quality player and he would be an asset to the club, but he would definitely have to take a 50% cut in salary, and unless another loan can be arranged with PSG paying at least half of his salary I can’t see it happening.
Just on another subject Guessand will prove to be fans favourite.
Agreed, hopefully the club secure favourable terms whether it’s a loan or permanent move and also learn from past mistakes and don’t offer a lengthy contract if the latter. High hopes for Guessand, couple of moments in that Villarreal game where he took his man on and got to the byline, looks lively.