Aston Villa have reportedly rejected an approach from Valencia for Emiliano Buendia as Unai Emery is keen to keep the Argentine playmaker.
The 28-year-old suffered a serious knee injury on the eve of the 2023/24 season which ruled him out for the entire year, and after a tough rehabilitation process, he made his comeback last season before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.
READ MORE: Agreement reached as Villa ace set to undergo medical ahead of exit
That gave Buendia an opportunity to play more regularly to get his match fitness, sharpness and form back, and on returning to Villa this summer, he went on to impress in pre-season having been given a more prominent role by Emery in our preparations.
It seems as though his hard work and ability to make a positive impression this summer has made a decisive impact on the Villa boss, as journalist Hector Gomez reports that Valencia made an official enquiry for Buendia around 10 days ago, but that interest was snubbed as he claims that Emery wants to keep him in his squad.
Time will tell if that remains the case for the remainder of the summer transfer window, but with Buendia playing a key role for Emery prior to his injury setback, coupled with the fact that as things stand we have a void in terms of having a playmaker in the side after Marco Asensio’s loan spell ended, the pieces fit for the Argentine ace to stay and play an important part in our campaign as we compete across multiple fronts.
Speculation continues to suggest that both Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey could leave in the coming days, and so that in turn increases the importance of keeping Buendia in the squad, as alongside Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand, they’ll have fundamental roles to play behind Ollie Watkins in the final third.
That said, rumours suggest that Asensio could return, and so that could still have a knock-on effect on Buendia’s future as it’s unclear if Emery would want to have them both at his disposal with one eye on controlling our wage bill too.
It could be a busy end to the summer for Villa with possible outgoings touted and the need to replace them, but if the report above is accurate, Buendia will get another chance to play an important role for us, and it’s hoped he’s able to build on his pre-season form and make a vital contribution if that is indeed the case.
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