Emiliano Buendia a shrewd capture for Aston Villa

07/06/21 1736

Reportedly Aston Villa are close to sealing a club-record signing of Norwich’s Argentinian attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia.

The 24-year-old will cost a figure in the region of £33million, which in modern terms is not a massive fee. The Villans are believed to have outbid Arsenal for the attacking midfielder.

Villa may just have got themselves a bargain with Buendia. The playmaker was outstanding in the Championship last season, scoring 15 goals and creating a further 16 in the second tier.

His efforts played a crucial part in the Canaries booking their place in the Premier League for next season.

The signing of Buendia would be a solid start to the summer transfer window for the team from the Midlands.

The recruitment team at Aston Villa did a fantastic job last summer in signing the likes of Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins. There are signs that bringing Buendia in will fall into the same category.

Reports continue to suggest that he is a replacement for highly-rated England international midfielder Jack Grealish. The 25-year-old has been linked with numerous clubs in recent months, including Premier League champions Manchester City.

However, thoughts of Buendia as a Grealish replacement seem to be slightly off, as the England man generally plays on the left, while the prospective recruit favours the right side, although he can also play as a number ten too.

If Grealish stays, Villa head coach Dean Smith could switch to more of a 433 for next season, with the two talented attacking players flanking central striker Ollie Watkins. The former Brentford forward enjoyed a dream Premier League debut campaign.

If as expected, Villa gets the Buendia deal over the line, everybody associated with the Midlands club should be excited, as signing the Argentinian star may well prove to be a massive coup for the Villans.