The 19-year-old continues to emerge as one of the top young talents in Spain after bagging three goals and two assists in 32 appearances at senior level last season, while he impressed for Spain U21s at the European Championship this summer too.
_**READ MORE: [Incoming Villa talent shines on international duty with decisive display](https://talk-villa.com/zepiqueno-redmond-aston-villa-incoming-signing-netherlands-u19s-impresses/)**_
Albeit he’s still young and inexperienced, he has shown real talent and potential thus far to suggest that he could have a very bright future ahead of him, and according to [Diario de Sevilla](https://www.diariodesevilla.es/realbetis/jesus-rodriguez-tiempo-contado-betis_0_2004186030.html), Villa have a meeting scheduled with his agents to continue talks over a potential transfer this summer.
It’s added that the meeting is likely to centre around his role, the club’s project and personal terms, and so it remains to be seen if Monchi and our recruitment team can convince the Spanish starlet that we are the best move for the next chapter of his career, while there will also be critical talks with Betis ahead to determine whether or not an agreement can be reached on a fee and structure of the deal.
The report notes that although Rodriguez has a €50m release clause in his contract, the expectation is that no interested party will pay that much, with Como credited with a potential swoop too, and so it’s likely that they will accept an offer of around €30m to €35m plus add-ons.
Given the well-documented talk around our PSR position over the past month or so, it’s unlikely that Villa are going to be in a position to splash out such a significant fee before June 30, and so it’s hoped that Como don’t accelerate their pursuit and beat us to the signature if Unai Emery and the club believe Rodriguez could be a pivotal addition for us long-term.
If we are able to stay in the hunt, much will depend on convincing the teenager that he will flourish at Villa, and given Emery’s work with countless other players to help improve and develop their game, coupled with the fact that we need more quality in wide areas with Marcus Rashford departing after his loan spell and doubts persisting over the future of Leon Bailey, it could be an ideal switch for both Villa and Rodriguez moving forward.
However, it will count for little if he’s not convinced to snub the advances of Como in favour of joining us, and after a slow start to the summer transfer window across the board, time will tell if Villa can close in on our first notable new signing ahead of next season.
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