Aston Villa are reportedly set to trigger Oscar Mingueza’s release clause as we look to prise him away from Celta Vigo in the January transfer window.
The 25-year-old came through the youth ranks at Barcelona before joining Celta in 2022, and he has since gone on to make 82 appearances for the club.
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In addition to his defensive work, the versatile Spanish international has bagged four goals and provided eight assists in those outings too, and so he is capable of making an impact in both phases of the game.
His aforementioned versatility is certainly a strength, as he’s been deployed in both full-back positions and in advanced roles out wide so far this season, and so that aspect of his game is likely to be another key factor behind why Villa are being tipped to launch a bid.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Villa are willing to pay Mingueza’s €20m release clause, but they note that as talks continue over a potential deal this month, much will also depend on Barcelona’s plans as they have an option to match any offer for the Spanish defender, while they hold 50 percent of his economic rights.
If the Catalan giants opt against doing so as they have well-publicised financial problems, that in turn would then leave the door open for Villa to move forward with the signing of Mingueza, provided that we are indeed prepared to trigger his release clause, as suggested in the report above. If they do exercise their option, that could in turn complicate the matter significantly.
The right-back position has been problematic for Villa for some time now, as our lack of experienced depth behind Matty Cash has created a selection headache at times. With his injury issues over the past couple of years, it has often led to Ezri Konsa being forced to shift across and fill that void, with Diego Carlos coming into the heart of the Villa defence.
That set-up has produced some stand-out performances, but as we’re seeing more often so far in this campaign, it disrupts the balance in the Villa side and our defence continues to leak goals.
Although we have options with the likes of Kosta Nedeljkovic and Lamare Bogarde pushing to be more involved, they seemingly haven’t been able to convince Emery that they’re ready yet, and amid speculation over Carlos and his future at the club this week, a move for Mingueza undoubtedly makes a lot of sense.
Time will tell though if the pieces fall into place for a switch to materialise, or if Villa ultimately decide to look elsewhere to address the issue.