Aston Villa surprisingly qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League this season. If the Villains are going to keep surprising us and make some noise in the Champions League, they will need to invest big this summer.
Unai Emery and Aston Villa’s owners know this. They have been linked to players all around the world. One link though, has us worried about how Villa will do next year.
Lazio midfielder linked to Aston Villa
Corriere dello Sport claims Aston Villa are ready to make a “mega offer” for Lazio’s Mattéo Guendouzi.
The former Arsenal midfielder requested a move away from Lazio earlier this season. He is reportedly desperate to return back to the Premier League to prove himself in the best league in the world.
Lazio have slapped a €30m price tag on Guendouzi. Aston Villa are reportedly willing to pay it. This would be a mistake.
Mattéo Guendouzi isn’t worth it
Don’t get us wrong, Guendouzi is not a terrible player. The 25-year-old played in each of Lazio’s eight Champions League matches this season. He also was a regular player for France until just this month, when Didier Deschamps left him out of France’s Euro 2024 squad.
The issue with Guendouzi is that he’s not worth the money. If Aston Villa are going to spend €30m on a player, he should improve their squad.
Douglas Luiz looks likely to be sold this summer. Signing Guendouzi would not even come close to replacing Luiz. At most, the 25-year-old would be a depth piece behind John McGinn and Yuri Tielemans.
Villa should not be spending €30m on a depth option.
Another report, one from Insider Lazio, claims Aston Villa have already had one bid for Guendouzi turned down. If you’re a Villa fan, you should hope the club don’t go back in for the hot-headed Frenchman.
