Aston Villa have reportedly held negotiations over the potential free transfer signing of Atletico Madrid defender Mario Hermoso this summer.
The 28-year-old centre-half came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid before spells at Real Valladolid and Espanyol, and he eventually went on to join Atleti in July 2019.
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He has since gone on to make 165 appearances for the Spanish giants, 36 of which have come this season so far, but with his current contract set to expire this summer, speculation is building over his future.
According to Marca, a renewal offer was put to him previously, but the salary on offer wasn’t enough, and it’s suggested that Atleti may struggle to meet his demands.
In turn, that has led to rumours of a potential exit instead at the end of the season, and it’s noted that Villa stand out as one of the top options, with negotiations having already taken place.
No further detail is provided in terms of how advanced those talks are at this stage, but it’s added that there could be interest from Saudi Arabia too which would be problematic given their financial resources, and so it remains to be seen if Villa can fend off the competition and land another potentially key signing for Unai Emery.
As a left-footed centre-half, Hermoso could be viewed as a possible replacement for Clement Lenglet this summer, with the Frenchman’s loan deal from Barcelona set to end.
It’s unclear at this stage if Villa will pursue talks over a permanent switch, but Lenglet has served an important purpose this season with Tyrone Mings sidelined by a serious knee injury since the first game of the campaign, as he has offered cover for Pau Torres to allow us to maintain a key balance in our backline.
The pair have featured alongside each other in more recent weeks too, but with Mings coming back in the summer, coupled with the likes of Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos also being available and fighting for a starting berth, Lenglet’s departure could open up a spot for Hermoso.
Time will tell how the pieces fall into place, but it’s hoped that Emery is able to continue to strengthen his squad and add important options who suit his ideas and style, which in turn will hopefully allow us to be increasingly competitive moving forward.
