As they look to deal their Premier League rivals a major blow and land a key reinforcement in the process, Aston Villa are now reportedly prepared to complete Unai Emery’s transfer request to hijack a major star from Tottenham.
Aston Villa ready to grant Emery's wish
Having dragged them from the depths of relegation battles all the way to a Champions League quarter-final and a place in the last four of the FA Cup, to say that Emery is well-placed to make his own transfer requests at Villa Park would be an understatement. Together with sporting director Monchi, the Spaniard has earned the backing of those in the Midlands.
To Villa’s credit too, they’re often just as ambitious as their manager in the transfer market – welcoming both Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan during the January window. And that ambition is only likely to increase if they qualify for the Champions League for a second-consecutive season – perhaps resulting in moves for the likes of Dusan Vlahovic.
Aston Villa in contact to sign "magnificent" France U21 rising star
They could land an absolute bargain…
ByTom CunninghamApr 1, 2025
The Villans are reportedly leading the race to sign the out-of-favour Juventus striker and could land a deal for as little as £33m this summer. It’s not just the Serbian forward on their radar, however.
According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa are now preparing to grant Emery’s request and sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. The Argentina defender is reportedly ready to move on from North London and will cost as much as £55m, with Villa ‘willing to offer Romero a five-year contract’.
A World Cup-winner and Champions League-level defender, Emery’s interest in Romero should come as little surprise. It represents how far Spurs have fallen at the same time as Villa’s rise that the two clubs have almost swapped in positions both on and off the pitch. It wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that, in 2025, a move to Villa Park is bigger than heading to Spurs.
"Strong" Romero would be impressive coup
Luring one of the most influential players at one of the so-called top six clubs to the Midlands would not only validate Villa’s place in the battle for European places, it would also send a damning statement of intent. Emery already knows all about Romero’s quality and whilst there may be some concerns over his recent injury history, there’s no doubt that he would instantly hand Aston Villa a defensive leader.
Ollie Watkins also knows all about the defender’s quality. As Spurs thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 earlier this season, the England international was limited to just three touches in the opposition box and lost as many as nine duels. Romero, meanwhile, made four interceptions and won four out of seven ground duels whilst maintaining a pass accuracy of 95%.
If that was his Aston Villa audition, then the Argentine passed with flying colours. It’s those types of performances that have seen Romero praised by the likes of teammate Micky van de Ven, who told reporters last season: “Amazing player, unbelievable player. Defensively so strong, with the ball so strong, keeps talking, for me an amazing player.”