Aston Villa eye Man Utd target and Arsenal flop as Emery strikes first deal

Tom Weber

Updated: 4 Jun 2024 12:41 BST
4 min read

Aston Villa are looking to revamp their midfield this summer, according to reports.

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Ahead of the club's first-ever season in the Champions League following the tournament's rebranding in the early 1990s, coach Unai Emery and sporting director Monchi are gearing up for a busy summer.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa have reached a verbal agreement with relegated Luton Town for the transfer of Ross Barkley after the ex-Chelsea midfielder managed to revive his career over the past season.

Villa are ready to shell out €5.9 million on the 30-year-old in a bid to add experience and quality to their midfield. Emery was pushing to get the deal done, but Romano cautions that an official announcement is not expected to come likely until July.

Villa eye duo

Additionally, CaughtOffside reports that the Birmingham club have cast their eye on Serie A pair Matteo Guendozi and Adrien Rabiot. The former spent the past season on loan at Lazio and his permanent move from Marseille has already been made official.

Rabiot, meanwhile, is in the same situation he seems to be in every year at Juventus. The Frenchman is out of contract this summer and is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to his future.

Juventus want to keep him and Lazio will surely also be keen to keep former Arsenal flop Guendouzi, but both could be tempted by the prospect of moving to Villa.

Rabiot has admitted that it is his dream to play in the Premier League, having come through the Man City academy, while Guendouzi knows Emery well; he was the man who brought the midfielder to Arsenal in 2018.

It is claimed that Guendouzi could command as much as €30m. Rabiot would be a free transfer, but Juventus have reportedly offered him a three-year deal to keep him at the club long-term and Man Utd are seemingly always associated with the 29-year-old.