Emiliano Buendia has agreed on terms to join Aston Villa, as revealed by the Midlands club through their official Twitter account. The player joins from Norwich City despite being promoted to the Premier League as they won the Championship.
Villa will pay €34 million + add ons that could take the fee up to €40 million for the playmaker. This sees him become the club’s record signing and spells out their clear intent of getting back to the heights that they once were at.
Buendia has agreed a contract until 2026, and will officially be a part of the Aston Villa squad when the transfer window opens. He impressed heavily in the Championship this past season, and was one of Norwich’s key players as they finished first in the table.
The 24-year-old made 39 appearances for the club throughout the season, and scored 15 goals while assisting 17. He also has the ability to play on the left flank and in a more central attacking role, that makes him a versatile threat to oppositions.
He was also heavily pursued by Arsenal for many months, but the player ultimately chose to sign for Aston Villa who have an exciting project, led by Dean Smith and starring the likes of Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins.
Arsenal are now looking at different targets this summer, and they will be looking at profiles that match the creative attacking role that Buendia operates in. Martin Odegaard will be returning to Real Madrid and could finally get regular game time under Carlo Ancelotti. In any case, the London club will be meeting Real Madrid to discuss his future and will be looking to keep their options open regardless.
