By James Murray

26th Jul, 2023 | 1:04pm

Aston Villa in talks to sign Levante defender Marc Pubill as transfer news drops

Aston Villa are in talks to sign Marc Pubill as they look to bring the Levante defender to Villa Park, according to COPE Valencia.

The Spanish media outlet tweeted on 26 July that the next few hours will be “decisive” for the Villans to firm up their interest in the 20-year-old with a formal offer.

The Spanish right-back has been linked with La Liga sides Sevilla and Real Betis this summer, with Levante looking for a fee in the region of £5million to allow him to leave the club.

Trust Emery

If one man knows how to spot emerging talent coming out of Spain, then it is Villa boss Unai Emery.

The Spaniard has nurtured a number of relatively unknown players over the years and turned them into quality players that have gone on to compete at a high level.

Pubill impressed during the second half of last season for Levante in the Segunda Division, making 31 appearances in his side’s run to the playoff final, where they missed out on promotion to Alaves.

That means the club will be competing in the second tier again next season and will have difficulty keeping hold of the defender, particularly with Villa and La Liga clubs eyeing a move for him.

Emery is looking to bring in a new right-back to compete with Matty Cash after Ashley Young left for Everton, so it would be no surprise to see him attempt to strike a deal for Pubill for a relatively low fee.

In other Aston Villa news, the club should be looking to keep hold of Emiliano Martinez amid links to a CL side.