Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Villa Park on May 16, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Villa Park on May 16, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Villa Park on May 16, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Unai Emery has set his sights on a potential target for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window
Aston Villa will be playing European football again next season, after a strong second half to the campaign catalysed by some smart business by the Villains in January.
Villa have won 11 of their last 18 Premier League fixtures from January onwards - losing just three - and while consistent performers such as Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans and Emi Martínez have been influential, so have the attacking options off the bench and competition for places afforded by the January arrivals of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen. Similar business will be essential if Villa are to continue their European charge next campaign and challenge on all fronts once again to stake their claim for a place amongst England’s elite clubs.
There is still work to be done at Old Trafford on the final day, a victory likely to be the requirement if Unai Emery’s side are to ensure qualification for the Champions League for a second consecutive year. That will certainly be the target after Villa Park hosted some magical nights on the way to a narrow 5-4 aggregate defeat to finalists PSG in the quarter-finals.
Unai Emery has been assessing options ahead of the summer transfer window
With just days until the summer transfer window opens for business on June 1, Villa manager Emery has reportedly been doing his own personal transfer research to help decide which direction to go over the summer.
According to reports by AS in Spain, Emery returned to his home nation to attend former club Valencia’s La Liga encounter with Athletic Club on Sunday, with particular attention on two players. Firstly Enzo Barrenechea, Villa’s 23-year-old midfielder who is on loan at Valencia. The Argentine has yet to make an appearance for the Villains since signing from Juventus last summer, and Emery is reportedly still unsure about what Barrenechea’s future may look like amidst Valencia hope for a permanent transfer to Mestalla Stadium.
Whilst in attendance, a second mission became apparent as Emery took a close look at Valencia defender Christian Mosquera, reportedly a target for Villa and president of footballing operations Monchi. At just 20, Mosquera is a bright prospect and as such the centre-back has attracted attention from a host of Europe’s top clubs, including Atlético Madrid and AC Milan in addition to Villa. With his contract up in 2026 and a renewal unlikely, Mosquera may be available for just £15m. Interest around Europe is likely to only increase so Villa may need to act fast, hence Emery’s solo scouting mission to Spain.
How Mosquera would fit in at Villa Park
After the departure of Diego Carlos for Fenerbahce in January and the impending return of loan signing Axel Disasi to Chelsea, Villa have a gap opening up at centre-back which could be filled perfectly by Mosquera. With Tyrone Mings now 32 and Pau Torres injured for a large chunk of the season, Emery has a decision to make about who should be the long-term partner for England international Ezri Konsa at the back. Spain U23 star Mosquera would be a low-cost, high-potential buy and a player who could have a significant impact at Villa Park both in the short and the long term.
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