Aston Villa are preparing for the second leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal against Olympiacos in what is arguably their most important match of the season.
On the transfer front, meanwhile, it appears as though Unai Emery has one eye on the upcoming summer window, however…
Aston Villa's search for a midfielder
With Champions League football looking increasingly likely for the Midlands side next term, Emery is aiming to bolster his first-team squad with bigger challenges ahead.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Villa are showing plenty of interest in Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia ahead of the summer.
They face some stiff competition as Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth are also interested in luring the player away from La Liga once the season is over.
The good news is Emery won't need to pay over the odds for the Girona star. AS claim that his release clause is between €15m (£12.9m) and €20m (£17.2m), which could make the move even more appealing to the Villa boss.
Adding some midfield depth could be crucial heading into the 2024/25 campaign and signing Garcia is a chance for the club to secure Douglas Luiz 2.0.
Aleix Garcia’s statistics for Girona this season
Like Garcia, Luiz has also played for Manchester City and Girona during the early stages of his career.
City signed him in 2017 but loaned him out to the Spanish side for two seasons prior to joining Villa in 2019, making 46 appearances across all competitions in Spain.
This season, the Brazilian has emerged as a key member of Emery’s side, registering 20 goal contributions – ten goals and ten assists – across 50 matches for the club in all competitions.
With the building blocks in place to develop a genuinely wonderful starting XI, Garcia – who has been dubbed "the best deep-lying playmaker this season" by data analyst Ben Mattinson – could certainly add some more attacking qualities to this area.
The 26-year-old has played 36 matches during the current campaign, scoring three times, and grabbing six assists, indicating how much of a threat he poses from the heart of the midfield.
Barcelona starlet Pedri even hailed his compatriot for his stunning 2023/24 campaign, saying: “There are many, Alex Garcia is having a great season in Girona, I have him in my Fantasy lineup.”
Impressing players such as Pedri clearly means Garcia is doing something right. His passing ability has stood out over the previous 365 days as, when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the Spaniard currently ranks in the top 5% for passes attempted (80.28) and in the top 8% for progressive passes (7.9) per 90.
Not only that, but the midfielder also ranks in the top 16% for assists (0.18) and shot-creating actions (3.57) per 90, showing that he can also be a major threat when going forward and Emery would love to add another midfielder with this attacking ability to this squad.
If Villa do secure a Champions League spot for next season, it will certainly make it easier to attract players such as Garcia during the summer transfer window.
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