In order to compete for Champions League spots, Unai Emery is prepared to press Aston Villa to buy Villarreal player Alex Baena in January.
Fichajes claims that Unai Emery is prepared to press Aston Villa to sign left-sided player Alex Baena in January, as he is still interested in the player. The Basque manager wants his former Villarreal star to be a part of the team and wants to go all out for Champions League spots this year.
Due to their incredible start to the season, Aston Villa is now ranked at an unprecedented position in the league table. Unai Emery’s team moved up to third place, surpassing Pep Guardiola’s team, after defeating Manchester City in the middle of the week. They will now play Arsenal on Saturday night.
The manager wants to control their expectations because Emery has led them to a strong league position and is starting to discuss a title push. Rather than competing for the Premier League title, he believes they should be in the top four.
Emery therefore hopes that appropriate reinforcements in January will increase their chances of hitting their goals. Since the summer, the Aston Villa manager has been searching for a new left-sided attacker, and he has a number of candidates in mind for that role.
For example, he might have desired Nico Williams before January due to complications with his Athletic Club contract extension. Since the Spaniard inked a new contract, Aston Villa has decided to give Alex Baena another look.
The Villarreal player has been in Emery’s sights for some time now, and Aston Villa is probably giving their best shot to get the €60 million-rated player, who is wanted by Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona. The left-sided talent is also being pursued by the three elite teams, although none have advanced as far in their pursuit as Villa.
Although Baena has demonstrated his abilities for Villarreal to all of those parties, Unai Emery might be able to persuade Aston Villa to initiate talks with Villarreal. The management believes that the player, who is valued at €60 million, might help them qualify for the top four.
Although Baena has a €60 million release clause, Villa has previously demonstrated their ability to reach agreements for less. They did the same thing with the summer move of Pau Torres, but this time Villarreal is probably going to squeeze every last bit out of them.
