Unai Emery eyes Alex Baena reunion at Aston Villa with forward open to transfer
Aston Villa are interested in Villarreal forward Alex Baena, according to Caught Offside.
The online outlet reports [29 October] that the Villans and Premier League rivals Newcastle United had scouts present to watch the 23-year-old in his recent appearances against Getafe and Real Valladolid.
Baena is said to be open to moving to the English top flight and the Spain international would be eager to reunite with Unai Emery at Villa Park.
Villarreal are after a fee of €65million (£54m) for the talented attacker.
Aston Villa interested in Alex Baena
Villa have been flying high ever since the arrival of Emery in the dugout, having finished fourth in the Premier League last season and made a fast start to their maiden Champions League campaign.
In the current season, the Lions have continued to progress under the former PSG head coach, with impressive displays against the likes of Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Emery has two in-form strikers at his disposal at the moment in Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran.
The Colombian has been exceeding expectations of later, and it’s not surprising to see top clubs in the Premier League vying for his signature [AS Colombia, 22 October].
Baena is a creative outlet for Villarreal, with five assists and one goal in 10 appearances for the Yellow Submarines this season.
Emery has Jaden Philogene at his disposal for the left-hand side of the attack, but the 22-year-old still has much to improve in his game.
Jacob Ramsey is also often deployed on the left by the Spanish manager, but the midfielder is more effective when playing centrally, and it will be interesting to see who plays in that position against Crystal Palace on Wednesday (30 October).
Will Baena be the one to add depth to the team in the coming months? Only time will tell.
In other Aston Villa news, Lionel Messi has sent a message to Emi Martinez after what happened this week.
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