Aston Villa are well-placed to sign Matteo Guendouzi should he leave Marseille this summer, according to reports.
Is Matteo Guendouzi leaving Marseille?
The central midfielder still has another two years to run on his contract with Marcelino’s side, but having only completed one full set of 90 minutes across April, May and June combined, Le10 Sport have reported that he has started to “ask questions” about his future.
The France international was attracting significant interest from the Midlands outfit back in January but a deal failed to materialise, though during a Q&A for Birmingham Mail, journalist John Townley recently revealed that Unai Emery is a big fan of the player and is therefore considering making a second approach.
The Premier League boss already holds an existing connection to the 24-year-old having managed him during his time at Arsenal, and the tough-tackling ace also used to be teammates with Boubacar Kamara, so should he be looking for a new club, there’s a chance that a double reunion could be on the horizon.
Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano additionally revealed early on Tuesday morning that NSWE and Monchi are "open to offers" for Leander Dendoncker who despite being "rated" by the boss, is facing a "lot of competition" to nail down a regular starting spot, so a reinforcement will be needed should he depart which is where the former top-flight star comes into play.
Are Aston Villa signing Guendouzi?
According to French outlet La Provence (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa and West Ham United are the two “hottest leads” should Guendouzi leave Marseille. The Ligue 1 ace is “not in the plane just yet” because he’s still in the process of waiting to find out if he figures in his new manager’s plans, but should he be excluded from the fold, a move to B6 or E20 “could be on”.
Emery is clearly serious about securing his services to still be hovering in the background should a deal become available, and having helped him kickstart his career at the Emirates, he could want to unite and start afresh once again.
Would Guendouzi be a good signing for Emery?
Aston Villa will no doubt be attracted to the fact that Guendouzi has Premier League experience under his belt having made 57 appearances here before, and the central midfielder’s relationship with both Emery and Kamara seems to make him even more of a logical target.
The World Cup participant, who earns £63.5k-per-week, posted six goal contributions (four assists and two goals) in 33 Ligue 1 appearances last season and ranked in the 97th percentile for progressive passes by central midfield players, showing his desire to push his team up the pitch and contribute to efforts in the final third.
Guendouzi, who is a versatile operator with his ability to play everywhere across the centre of the park, was previously dubbed the “heart and lungs” of Arsenal’s engine room by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his "amazing" work rate, so he is an extremely well-rounded player and one who could once again excel under the guidance of Emery.