Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno is reportedly on the verge of completing a move to Girona as he’ll undergo a medical on Thursday.
The 32-year-old quickly established himself as a key figure under Unai Emery after arriving from Real Betis in January 2023, but an injury at the end of that campaign derailed his time with us despite making such an impressive start.
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Moreno spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, and although he featured for Villa in pre-season earlier this summer, the expectation was always that he would eventually move on.
According to The Athletic, the Spaniard will undergo a medical on Thursday ahead of completing his move to Girona, while he’ll pen a two-year contract and move on a free transfer, having agreed on a wage-cut to help get the deal across the line.
Importantly, it’s added that Villa have included a 40 percent sell-on clause, and so should the left-back go on to impress and earn one more big move before the end of his career, we’ll potentially be in line to profit from that too. He deserves credit though for taking the reduced salary in order to help the move materialise, as that’s a commendable move on a personal level.
With Lucas Digne signing a new contract this summer, the Frenchman will continue to compete with Ian Maatsen for a starting role in Emery’s defence, and so with those two vying for the same spot already, Moreno remained further down the pecking order with little to no chance of playing a prominent role for us this season.
In turn, it’s a sensible move for all concerned, and it’s hoped that he’s able to go on and play regularly for Girona, as he’s no doubt a top player who needs that consistency in his minutes to get back to top form.
For Villa, it’s another salary off the wage bill in our attempt to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations as part of our settlement agreement with the governing body, and hopefully it continues to give us some flexibility and room to manoeuvre when it comes to incomings ahead of the transfer window deadline.
Leander Dendoncker, Philippe Coutinho, Kortney Hause and now Moreno in addition to others have all been shifted off the books this summer, and so it’s been positive work from the Villa hierarchy, with the hope that it’s given us a chance to now strengthen for the season ahead too.
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