Aston Villa are reportedly keeping tabs on 23-year-old Villarreal playmaker Alex Baena, a target for Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham.
According to a report from Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Aston Villa will face competition from Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for Alex Baena. The West Midlands club scouted him in action for Spain during the international break.
It is no surprise that Aston Villa are scouting the Spaniard, who has a £50 million release clause in his Villarreal contract. Unai Emery will know all about the player, having worked with him during his time at the Spanish club. The West Midlands club have scouted him during the international break, and it will be interesting to see if they follow up with an official offer to sign the player.
Aston Villa could certainly use more creativity and control in the middle of the park, and Aston Baena would be an exceptional acquisition. The Villans have done quite well under their new manager, and they secured Champions League qualification at the end of last season.
The West Midlands club are competing in the Champions League this season, and they have done reasonably well in the Premier League as well. Alex Baena could be tempted to join them. It remains to be seen how the situation develops. It would be an excellent opportunity for him at this stage of his career, and he would get to test himself in English football.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham keen on Baena
Arsenal have been keeping tabs on his situation for a long time as well, and it will be interesting to see if they decide to make a move for him. The Gunners have been overly dependent on Martin Odegaard for creativity and control from the centre of the park. They need more depth in that position, and Alex Baena would be the ideal acquisition.
As for Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai has been rather underwhelming since joining the club, and it remains to be seen whether Arne Slot is prepared to strengthen that area of his squad. The Hungarian international was expected to take up the no. 10 role and help create goalscoring opportunities and find the back of the net.
The report states that Tottenham are keen on the Spaniard as well. They could certainly use more quality from the middle of the park. James Maddison has done quite well since joining the club, but the England international is quite inconsistent.
Tottenham need more quality in that area, and the Spanish playmaker would be the ideal acquisition. The reported £50 million asking price is affordable for all four clubs, and it will be interesting to see if they are ready to pay up.