Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is keen to 'reach agreement' with two-time international amid Leeds United transfer claim
Unai Emery is hoping to extend the contract of one Aston Villa’s most in-form players
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is reportedly hoping to extend Emiliano Buendia’s contract at the club after his stellar start to the campaign.
Buendia joined Aston Villa in 2021 from Norwich City for a then club-record transfer fee of £33m, rising to £38m with potential bonuses. He signed a five-year-contract with the club at the time which ran until the summer of 2026 but agreed to extend his stay by 12 months in January just days before completing his loan move to German side Bayer Leverkusen.
This means that the Argentine’s current deal runs until the summer of 2027, but Football Insider claim that Emery want’s to extend that deal as he is keen to avoid the prospect of the midfielder potentially running down his deal.
Emiliano Buendia’s remarkable Aston Villa resurgence continues
Buendia has had a challenging time at Aston Villa since moving to the West Midlands from East Anglia. In his debut campaign he was a regular, scoring four and assisting six in 2021/22. He featured in every league match the following season, scoring five and assisting two while showing improvements after Emery replaced Steven Gerrard.
However, his progress was disrupted in the 2023/24 season when he sustained a devastating ACL injury in pre-season which ruled him out of the full campaign. Villa qualfied for the Champions League in his absence and continued to add further star quality throughout the pitch such as Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, making it difficult for Buendia to find a route back into the first team during the 2024/25 campaign as he continued to try and find a rhythm after his injury woes.
Amid Villa’s battle to fulfil PSR, it was widely reported by a number of reporters, including Sébastien Vidal, that Aston Villa were willing to sell Buendia to Leeds United. He posted on X at the end of last season: “Emiliano Buendía could be on his way to Leeds United! The newly-promoted side are preparing a £16.8m bid for the Aston Villa playmaker. Unai Emery has given his blessing, and Buendía is ready for a fresh start. Daniel Farke hopes to reunite with him at Elland Road.”
That move never materliased, but it remained at the forefront throughout the window due to Farke’s bond with the player from his time with him at Carrow Road. Buendia despite staying was only expected to be a peripheal figure heading into the campaign, particularly when Harvey Elliott arrived from Liverpool to compete with Rogers.
However, Buendia has proved many doubters wrong this season, and is arguably one of Aston Villa’s most important players at this moment in time after scoring five times, including a last-gasp match-winner against leaders Arsenal.
Emiliano Buendia earns huge plaudits after sublime Arsenal match-winner
After the Arsenal win, Buendia opened up on his journey back from a long-term injury, and how his hard work and resilience has helped him continue to make an impact in claret and blue.
“I’ve been working so hard to rehabilitate well because after the injury it was a really tough moment for myself,” Buendia told the club website.
“I tried to keep going, to keep believing in myself. I knew I could help the team in this moment.I’ve been working so hard, I keep working, trying to get the minutes I have, try to help like the manager asked before I came on, to bring energy, to try to put the passion in the game. Today I could help with the goal, but if not, to put some work in for the team.”
His performances have also earned him admirers from two former Aston Villa players, who have highlighted just how important the 28-year-old has been in the club’s best winning run in 110 years.
“If he keeps playing like this, he won't be far from the plane that takes the Argentina squad to the 2026 World Cup. All the other teams should be worried if Buendia fails to make the Argentina squad after keeping up his form because that would mean the reigning world champions have such an unbelievable squad,” said Paul Merson via Sportskeeda.
Meanwhile, Chris Sutton told BBC Sport: “I was absolutely delighted to see Emi Buendia get the winner against Arsenal. He has had a lot of injuries to contend with at Villa but I saw a lot of him at Norwich and he is a terrific player.”