Aston Villa set to buy Emiliano Buendia for a record fee

After agreeing to an initial deal worth 30 million pounds with Norwich City for Emi Buendia, Aston Villa look poised to surpass their transfer record for the third straight summer transfer window. Should the Argentina international leave Villa Park in the future, the deal will include a variety of add-ons for that, as well as a sell-on fee.

The winger, who was called up for the first time by Argentina last month, was the best player in the Championship. His goal contributions were the driving factors behind Norwich’s restoration to the Premier League with just a year away. 

Arsenal and Villa have been monitoring Buendia for several months, which resulted in the latter agreeing to a deal for the 24-year-old. Norwich bought the winger from Getafe for 1.6 million pounds in 2018. Buendia had a medical on Saturday in Argentina, where he has been training for the Copa America.

The proposal provided by Aston Villa was deemed to be too good to pass up, with the price projected to grow to 40 million in the future. The high transfer fee renders Norwich in profit, since they didn’t have to spend much with respect to the current amount. It is unclear as to when the deal will be officially disclosed, but it demonstrates Aston Villa’s determination towards completing their transaction early in order to beat possible competitors to the signing of their targets.

Norwich’s transfer activity for the coming season will most presumably be fueled by the offensive-minded player, who can play as a winger as well as a central figure. Buendia scored 15 goals, provided 17 assists in 39 games in the Sky Bet Championship in the 2020-21 season. Prior to that, he featured in the Premier League in 2019-20, gaining formidable experience before Norwich were demoted.

The Argentine still has potential for improvement at 24, and it is believed that Dean Smith will continue to improve those who have signed with him. Buendia, a product of Real Madrid’s youth system, hasn’t yet scaled the high echelons like some of his former teammates. However, with Aston Villa’s current upwards trajectory, it’s entirely likely he will in claret and blue.