Aston Villa

Aston Villa now make contact to sign “sensational” midfielder

Published

2 weeks ago

June 23, 2024

Whilst much of the focus has been on potential outgoings, Aston Villa have now reportedly made their first move to sign a new midfielder for Unai Emery.

Aston Villa transfer news

Those at Villa Park would have been hoping to feel the financial power of being a Champions League side this summer. That’s been anything but the case, however. Instead, the Midlands club are among the sides who must raise funds before the end of June if they want to avoid breaking the Premier League‘s profit and sustainability rules.

tim-iroegbunam-aston-villa-premier-league (2)

Those rules have already resulted in one exit, with young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam completing a move to Everton worth a reported £9m, and there looks to be more on the cards.

According to Fabrizio Romano, star midfielder Douglas Luiz is set to join Juventus in a deal that will see Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea come the other way, whilst a deal has reportedly been agreed to sell academy prospect Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for a hefty £19m.

Following those potential exits, meanwhile, Villa look set to turn their attention back towards incomings this summer, with a deal for Ian Maatsen also set to be completed after Lewis Dobbin.

According to The Express, Aston Villa have enquired about a deal to sign Brais Mendez from Real Sociedad, reportedly making contact with the attacking midfielder’s agent. Alas, they are reportedly joined in their interest by Manchester United, AS Roma and Juventus to create a hectic race in the coming months.

“Sensational” Brais Mendez could shine at Aston Villa

A player who has spent the entirety of his career in La Liga, moving from Celta Vigo to Real Sociedad, Mendez can finally move on to kickstart Villa’s summer transfer window and hand Emery the attacking depth that a Champions League side will need. The 27-year-old, who reportedly has a £52m release clause, impressed once more in Spain last season to prove that he is more than capable of pushing the likes of Moussa Diaby for a starting place if he completes a move to the Midlands.

League stats 23/24 (via FBref)	Brais Mendez	Moussa Diaby
Goals	5	6
Assists	6	8
Key Passes	40	47
Ball Recoveries	121	62

What instantly stands out about Mendez is his ball recovery ability alongside his hand in Sociedad goals last season. Those two traits combined would make him quite the option for Emery to turn to next season.

As a result of such form during his time in Spain, the midfielder has earned plenty of praise, with Zach Lowy once dubbing the 27-year-old “sensational” as a bright spark in a season to forget for Celta Vigo in the 2018/19 campaign. Now at Sociedad, that quality has far from dwindled to more than earn a big move this summer.