Girona accept Aston Villa €20m + add-ons transfer bid for deep-lying playmaker Aleix Garcia

Girona accept Aston Villa €20m + add-ons transfer bid for deep-lying playmaker Aleix Garcia

Aston Villa is preparing for the second leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal against Olympiacos,

which is perhaps their most crucial game of the season.

Unai Emery appears to be focused on the forthcoming summer transfer market.

Aston Villa’s Search for a Midfielder

With Champions League play looking increasingly possible for the Midlands club next season,

Emery is keen to strengthen his first-team squad for larger challenges ahead.

According to Spanish source AS, Villa are very interested in Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia ahead of the summer.

They face heavy competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth,

who are also interested in pulling the star away from La Liga after the season ends.

The good news is Emery will not have to overpay for the Girona star.

According to AS, his release clause ranges between €15 million (£12.9 million) and €20 million (£17.2 million),

making the transfer even more tempting to Villa’s manager.

Adding some midfield depth could be critical heading into the 2024/25 season,

and Garcia provides an opportunity for the club to obtain Douglas Luiz 2.0.

Aleix Garcia’s stats with Girona this season

Luiz, like Garcia, played for Manchester City and Girona early in his career.

City signed him in 2017, but he was loaned out to the Spanish club for two seasons before joining Villa in 2019,

making 46 appearances in all competitions in Spain.

This season, the Brazilian has emerged as a significant element of Emery’s squad,

with 20 goals and ten assists across 50 matches in all competitions.

Garcia, who has been labelled “the best deep-lying playmaker this season” by statistics analyst Ben Mattinson,

could surely offer some more attacking qualities to this area now that the foundations for a truly fantastic starting XI have been laid.

The 26-year-old has played 36 games this season, scoring three goals and providing six assists,

demonstrating his threat from the heart of the midfield.

Barcelona superstar Pedri even praised his compatriot for his outstanding 2023/24 season,

stating: “There are many, Alex Garcia is having a great season in Girona, I have him in my Fantasy lineup.”

Impressing players like Pedri definitely indicates Garcia is doing something correctly.

His passing ability has stood out over the last 365 days,

with the Spaniard presently ranking in the top 5% of his positional contemporaries

in Europe’s top five leagues for passes attempted (80.28) and progressive passes (7.9) per 90 minutes.

Not only that, but the midfielder is in the top 16% for assists (0.18) and shot-creating actions (3.57) per 90 minutes,

indicating that he can be a huge threat going forward,

and Emery would want to add another midfielder with this offensive potential to this group.

If Villa secures a Champions League spot for next season,

it will undoubtedly make it simpler to attract players such as Garcia during the summer transfer window.

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