Aston Villa manager Unai Emery could look to cash in on a £100,000-a-week player in January, according to a new report.
The Villans could well be in for a busy new year as they look to continue their upward trajectory under Emery. Several players have already been linked with moves to Villa Park, meaning plans could be in place for a few arrivals and departures.
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Aston Villa transfer news
One player that Villa have been linked with for a while is Villarreal’s Alex Baena. Emery is said to be a big fan of his, as the pair have previously worked together in Spain. The Villa boss is looking to bring the winger to England, and ex-Villa scout Bryan King believes Baena would jump at the chance to reunite with Emery.
“I think he’d find it easy to join Villa and come into a club with a manager that he knows,” King said. “Baena has worked with Emery. Therefore, I see no reason why Emery wouldn’t push for that transfer and tell the club that Baena is a great prospect, a good player, and the player that he wants.
“And as a player who has worked with him, I think he’d be eager to join Villa and continue his career in the West Midlands.”
Baena is not the only La Liga star Villa are looking to sign, as they also have their eye on Omar El Hilali. The right-back has been catching the eye in Spain with Espanyol, putting him on the radars of Villa and Manchester City. El Hilali joining the Midlands side could mean they move a defender on, and it appears Emery has already made his mind up on who that would be.
Unai Emery open to selling £100k-p/w Aston Villa player
According to Football Insider, Emery is open to selling Diego Carlos in the January transfer window. The 31-year-old has been at Villa Park since July 2022 when he joined the club from Sevilla, and it is a transfer that hasn’t quite gone to plan so far.
The defender, who has been described as “amazing” by Emery in the past, picked up a serious injury in his first season at the club and followed that up by playing 27 times in the Premier League last season. So far in this campaign, Diego Carlos has played six times in the league and four games in the Champions League.
Despite his involvement in the current campaign, the report states that Emery could be open to selling the defender when January arrives. The Villa manager is not thought to be convinced of Carlos’ role in the team and appears ready to sanction his departure “sooner rather than later”.
It goes on to add that Emery has not been impressed by what he has seen from Diego Carlos, who earns £100,000 a week at Villa, and he is now expected to welcome interest in his services. The centre-back was the subject of interest from Fulham during the summer, but it remains to be seen if they are still interested.
