Aston Villa keen to loan out Argentina star after midfielder's stay at Bayer Leverkusen comes to an end
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ASTON Villa are seeking a new loan destination for midfield schemer Emi Buendia as he returns from Bayer Leverkusen.
Buendia is eager for a Premier League opportunity and his availability is likely to attract the attention of his former boss, Daniel Farke, at Leeds United.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Emi Buendia scored two goals in 11 appearances for Leverkusen
Credit: Getty
3
Newly promoted Leeds United have been looking at him
Credit: Getty
3
Leverkusen decided against pursing a permanent move for the Argentine
Credit: GETTY
However, Leeds have other priorities and Buendia may have to wait to see how committed they are to bringing him in.
Leeds are allowed only two Premier League loans which could limit their options.
Villa missed out on Champions League football to Chelsea and Newcastle after a defeat to Manchester United on the final day of the season.
Since then, all attention has shifted to the future of goalkeeper and influential team member Emi Martinez.
The Argentine has been sensational for Unai Emery's side but fueled speculation of an exit when he broke down in tears and took a bow in front of the Holte End after Villa's final home game of the season.
There had been reports suggesting a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, but recent links indicate that Manchester United are now monitoring him.
Neil Cutler, Martinez's former coach at Villa and close friend, hinted at a potential Premier League move when he said: "This summer is pivotal for Emi in terms of his career.
"He's been voted the best goalkeeper in the world twice and it seems there is an opportunity for him this summer with all his options open.
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
"Big clubs are queuing up to speak to him and he either stays at a massive club like Villa or moves to a truly world-class club.
Why these WILD Chris Wood & Morgan Rogers stats could spell disaster for Chelsea & Man Utd | Experts' best bets - Weekend Wager
'I don't think money is the issue for Emi, so I don't think he's ready to move to Saudi Arabia just yet.
'If he does move, it would be to a much bigger club, one of the really big hitters, like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid... or even Manchester United.'
Regarding potential incomings, Villa have been linked with Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, Espanyol's Joan Garcia, and Nice's Marcin Bulka if Martinez were to leave.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
7 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland man Angus Gunn understands Rangers' pursuit of Russell Martin
Gunn, who is training with the Scotland squad at Lesser Hampden this week ahead of the national team's friendly internationalist against Iceland at Hampden on Friday evening and Liechtenstein on Monday night, can understand why the Govan outfit's new hierarchy are interested in bringing him in. Read more: 'I only worked with him as a player at Norwich,' he said. 'He's a very intellectual guy. I went in there as a young goalkeeper and he helped me massively, even though he wasn't in the team every week and playing regularly. 'He was the captain of the club and he had good relationships with everyone in the dressing room. Obviously, watching what he's done at Southampton, I thought he'd done incredibly well there. 'He probably was unfortunate to lose his job there because it's always difficult for teams coming up from the Championship to even compete with some of the Premier League teams. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'I watch him now on the TV and can see the way he wants to play and his philosophy. I really hope whatever he goes on to in his career is successful. 'I don't know if he's going to go to Rangers or not, but obviously he had a spell there as well, so he kind of knows the club a little bit. I think it would be a really good thing for the Rangers, to be fair.' Read more: Gunn, who is set to win his 16th cap for his adopted homeland against Iceland, knew early on that Martin, who played 29 times for the country of his father's birth in the 2010s, was destined to become a manager when he started playing with him at Norwich. 'There were a few other players in that dressing room who were like that,' he said. 'Steven Naismith was there as well. But you can definitely tell on the pitch when you're playing with players. They kind of start coaching whilst they're still playing, if you like, sort of organising on the pitch. 'He was one of them. But Russell wasn't just on the pitch, he was off the pitch as well, where he had close relationships with everyone. Even though, like I said, he wasn't a regular playing in the team, he was always on hand and always upbeat and a good person to go to.'
Glasgow Times
14 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Dealing with Southampton heat showed Russell Martin can hack Rangers
The Scotland goalkeeper, though, insisted he couldn't recollect that fateful moment in an English Championship match against Fulham at Craven Cottage eight years ago when he spoke to the media at Hampden yesterday. "I remember my debut,' he said following a national team training session at Lesser Hampden ahead of the friendly international against Iceland in Mount Florida on Friday night. 'But I can't remember him scoring against me, no. Did he? We won't mention that, because he's a good guy.' Yet, Gunn had no problem recalling what a fine footballer, inspirational leader and cerebral thinker on the game Martin, who had just been tipped to take over as manager at Rangers when he arrived at his press conference, was when they had played together at Carrow Road at the start of his professional career. The difficulties which Norwich experienced against the Swansea City and Southampton sides the former Scotland centre-half managed were also fresh in his mind. Read more: Opinion about the man who led the St Mary's Stadium outfit back into the Premier League via the end-of-season play-offs last year was sharply divided among fans of the Glasgow club. Many admitted they would have preferred Davide Ancelotti, Francesco Farioli or Steven Gerrard to succeed Philippe Clement. But Gunn was adamant that appointing Martin, who was sacked back in December following a disappointing run of results in the English top flight, would be no own goal by Rangers. 'It's hard to compare a promoted team going into the Premier League with a team like Rangers going into European games,' he said. 'But I think he showed what he can do as a manager, not only with Southampton but with Swansea as well. He took a team that wasn't expected to do much quite far into the Championship as well. 'I think it will be a positive thing for Rangers. But, obviously, the only thing that can bring those supporters round is probably him getting in the door and starting well. That's the only thing that can happen. "But Southampton were a tough team. We had a couple of good games against them. We saw the evolution of their team throughout the season. I think when we first played them, they were quite open. Then, when we played them again, they were a little bit more pragmatic. 'I think that shows a coach that can adapt and change the way his team plays. Watching his teams over the few years that he was there, I thought he did that. Even though some people probably said he was reluctant to change, I thought he did that quite well, especially in the Championship anyway. (Image: Andrew Matthews) "It is a difficult league to get out of. We had the pressure of them coming down as well. A lot of the teams find it quite hard. I was there at Southampton previously and I felt it. There was a lot of pressure on him and the team and he managed to deliver. 'I don't know if he's going to go to Rangers or not, but obviously he had a spell there as a player so he kind of knows the club a little bit. I think it would be a really good thing for the Rangers, to be fair.' Gunn always suspected that Martin, whose partner is former glamour model Lucy Pinder, who is a former member of the Green Party, who is a proponent of Buddhism and who is a vegan, was destined to move into management and his success with MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton in the past six years has not surprised him. 'I only worked with him as a player at Norwich,' he said. 'But he's a very intellectual guy. I went in there as a young goalkeeper and he helped me massively, even though he wasn't in the team every week and playing regularly. He was the captain of the club and he had good relationships with everyone in the dressing room. 'There were a few other players in that dressing room who were like that,' he said. 'Steven Naismith was there as well. But you can definitely tell on the pitch when you're playing with players who are going to go into management. They kind of start coaching whilst they're still playing, if you like, sort of organising on the pitch. Read more: 'He was one of them. But Russell wasn't just on the pitch, he was off the pitch as well, where he had close relationships with everyone. Even though, I wasn't a regular playing in the team, he was always on hand and always upbeat and a good person to go to. 'I watch him now on the television and can see the way he wants teams to play football and what his philosophy is. I really hope whatever he goes on to in his career is successful.' Gunn, who was released by Norwich at the end of last season, is eager to put a difficult season firmly behind him and is looking forward to featuring in both of the Scotland friendlies in the coming days and performing well for his country. 'The injuries have probably been the most challenging thing to me because I've not been injured too much in my career,' he said. 'Sometimes that's hard to deal with if you're not used to it. But I thought I dealt with it quite well. I came back, tried to come back stronger. 'Obviously, it's a different stage of my career now. I'm getting a little bit older and every year is different. From my point of view, I don't really look too much into the past. I'm more excited for the future.'
Scottish Sun
18 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Inter Milan ask Cesc Fabregas for permission to speak to… Cesc Fabregas as they target next manager
Reports have indicated what way he is leaning on the offer That's Fab Inter Milan ask Cesc Fabregas for permission to speak to… Cesc Fabregas as they target next manager Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) INTER MILAN have asked for permission to speak to Cesc Fabregas. The beaten Champions League finalists and Serie A runners-up have seen boss Simone Inzaghi leave by mutual consent, ahead of an expected move to Al-Hilal. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Inter Milan want to speak to Como manager and co-owner Cesc Fabregas Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 2 It comes after coach Simone Inzaghi left the club Credit: EPA The Italian giants want to get their new boss in position quickly before the Club World Cup begins in less than two weeks. And that has led them to opening talks with Como to poach Fabregas. The ex-Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder is the manager of the club, who finished tenth in their first season in Serie A after achieving promotion last season. Fabregas, 38, is also a co-owner of the outfit alongside Thierry Henry, but have the richest club owners in Italian football in the form of the Indonesia-based Djarum Group. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL JAD HIS CHANCE Jadon Sancho breaks silence on Chelsea snub as he's sent back to Man Utd Reports in Italy state Inter want to speak to the Spaniard about their available head coach role. However, Fabregas has already turned down a job offer from German side Bayer Leverkusen after they allowed Xabi Alonso to leave to join Real Madrid. The Nerazzurri were being rivalled by Roma to land Fabregas. But reports indicate they have agreed to appoint legendary Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Sky Sport Italia claims Fabregas is "tempted" by the offer, but is yet to give any indication over a decision. Fabregas has been a co-owner of Como since August 2022.
