Aston Villa have made a shocking move to offer an ex-Barcelona man who currently plies his trade on his home soil.
Aston Villa have made a surprise, previously undetected move to sign former Barcelona man Emerson Royal this summer. The 27-year-old right-back is currently playing for Brazilian giants Flamengo. He left Europe last summer following his disappointing stint at AC Milan.
According to a report by ESPN Brazil via Sport Witness, Villa have in fact come forward with a real offer on the table for the player who only made three appearances in Blaugrana shirt.
“Flamengo has received a €9 million (equal to £7.7 million) offer from Aston Villa, England, for Emerson Royal.”
Emerson Royal has signed a contract until December 2028, meaning that the Brazilian giants are in control of the negotiations. They will not make things easy, as they value the former Barcelona man highly. He has featured in 40 matches so far, scoring once and providing five asissts in all competition.
His club would definitely consider sanctioning the move but Villa are expected to return with better offer. Flamengo already did it with Ukraine giant, Shakhtar Donestk as they released a youngster Rayan Roberto for €10 million.
Therefore, Flamengo could ask for a higher price, as The Lions’ submitted offer is basically the same transfer fee they had to spend to facilitate his move from AC Milan last summer. However, considering his relatively low price, Villa could match their demands. Plus, they currently have barely any competition in the race to sign him.
Royal has extensive experience in Europe, which is probably why Villa are pursuing him. The right-back, who has 10 international caps, has had spells at Real Betis, AC Milan and Spurs, besides the Catalan side.
Nevertheless, his spell in North London was considered a disappointing one, despite making 101 appearances under several managers, including Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou. Royal is also quite versatile, as he can be deployed as a left-back and centre-back as well. Such versatility makes him a potential asset for Villa.
The 27-year-old defender had his best spell with Real Betis. He played for the club from 2019 to 2021 after joining from the Catalan giants, registering five goals and 10 assists.
The Brazilian full-back has only featured in one major international tournament, Copa America 2021. However, his experience could definitely provide an addition to Unai Emery’s squad, as well as proper competition and backup for Matty Cash.
Based on the data from FotMob, the current Flamengo man has a fairly high successful pass percentage of up to 85.7%, while his duel-winning rate reaches 56.8%, including 66.7% in aerial duels. Yet, his defensive contribution needs improvement for a defensive player, as he only made 41 defensive actions, including eight tackles, seven interceptions and 25 clearances.
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