Aston Villa now preparing opening bid for £26m midfielder who Emery loves

Unai Emery is a long-term admirer of an “incredible” La Liga midfielder, and Aston Villa are readying an offer ahead of the summer transfer window.

Villa eyeing new midfielder despite Emery’s reluctance to lose Tielemans

Despite qualifying for the Champions League, Villa once again have PSR concerns heading into the summer transfer window, but Emery is determined to keep hold of Youri Tielemans, and isn’t willing to fund his summer transfer business by selling the Belgian.

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who told Football Insider: “Youri Tielemans is one of the players that Unai Emery would be very reluctant to lose.

“They will probably look elsewhere in the squad to see if they could raise funds if they need to sell before they can buy players this summer. Unai Emery won’t want to consider losing such a key player.

“Top clubs will be interested in Tielemans if there is any indication he could be prised away from Villa Park because he is a real top player and he’s very highly regarded.”

However, with O’Rourke also pointing out the central midfielder was a “big miss” when he missed seven Premier League games due to an ankle injury earlier this season, the Villans remain keen on strengthening their options in the middle of the park.

NSWE preparing offer for La Liga star

According to a report from Sports Boom, Emery has been a big fan of Celta Vigo midfielder Ilaix Moriba for quite some time, and Aston Villa are now preparing an opening bid ahead of the summer transfer window.

As previously mentioned, Villa may not have a great deal of money to work with this summer, unless they choose to sell players, but a deal for Moriba would be relatively cheap, with the Spanish side expected to hold out for around €30m (£26m).

The initial proposal may be in the region of €20m (£17m) though, with NSWE ‘leading the chase’ for Moriba’s signature, ahead of Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, while rival suitors FC Porto and Real Sociedad may lack the financial means to get a deal over the line.

Hailed as “incredible” by scout Antonio Mango, the Guinean midfielder has been one of Celta Vigo’s most important players this season, missing just two La Liga matches, and an average of 3.2 tackles per 90 is by far the highest in the squad.

As such, Moriba may have the quality to succeed at Villa Park, but he is not the only midfielder on the shortlist, with Aston Villa also keen on West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who, of course, already has plenty of Premier League experience.

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