Aston Villa set to rival Arsenal for Emiliano Buendia transfer

Aston Villa are lining up a summer move for Norwich City playmaker Emiliano Buendia, who is also a target for Arsenal.

Buendia, who was named the Championship's player of the season for 2020/21, has enjoyed a spectacular campaign, scoring 15 and assisting 17 in the league.

After aiding Norwich to the Championship title and securing an immediate return to the Premier League, the Canaries will be keen to keep hold of their main man. However, they realise the Argentine's market value and could sell for offers north of their £40m valuation.

The Guardian report that Aston Villa, who signed Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins form the second tier last summer, will prioritise the arrival of a playmaker who has already played in English football, and have expressed an interest in Buendia.

The midfielder, who was recently called up to the Argentina squad, joined the Canaries from Getafe for just £1.5m in 2018 and has since gone on to rack up 66 goal contributions in 121 games for the club.

Villa's pursuit of Buendia will be challenged by Arsenal. The Gunners have been in the market for a permanent solution to their creativity issue for some time.

Their efforts to sign the Norwich man, however, will likely depend on the status of Martin Odegaard, who is currently on loan at the Emirates from Real Madrid. Despite potetnial difficulty reaching an agreement with a transitioning Los Blancos, it is believed Mikel Arteta is keen to make the Norwegian's midfielder stay in north London permanent.

"We have tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he has done," the Arsenal boss said.

“He has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football club. Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling that this could be a good place for him."