Aston Villa in 'advantageous position' to sign £30m warrior once dubbed Arsenal's 'next Patrick Vieira'

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is believed to be considering a swoop for former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi this summer.

The French midfielder was notably signed by Emery in 2018 during his first transfer window as Arsenal boss after making a name for himself at Lorient and now could be set for a return to the Premier League after leaving the North London side in 2022.

Guendouzi is known to be a player that Emery rates highly, he’s a tough tackling, exuberant, midfielder with great stamina and impressive passing range. He’s represented France at international level on 13 occasions and is seen as the calibre of player that can bolster an already impressive central midfield which features John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkely and Jacob Ramsey.

Emmanuel Petit even once compared Guendouzi to the great Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira and claimed the star has similar qualities, via The Standard.

Matteo Guendouzi attracts Aston Villa interest

Guendouzi was one of the first players through the door after Emery’s arrival at Arsenal seven years ago and a player that the Spaniard knows plenty about from his time at the Emirates.

The £7m arrival was seen as one for the future when he arrived but ultimately became a regular almost immediately with 48 appearances and 33 starts across all competitions as the Gunners finished 5th with 70 points while also reaching the Europa League final.

“He is a talented young player and a lot of clubs were interested in him. He has big potential and gained good first-team experience last season with Lorient. He wants to learn and improve and will be an important part of our first-team squad,” said Emery that season.

Guendouzi remained a regular for the following six months before Emery’s exit when subsequent fitness problems and a clash of personalities with incoming boss Mikel Arteta led to his downfall in North London, with the former Everton midifelder accusing Guendouzi of having ‘issues with attitude and general conduct.”

He spent time on loan at Hertha Berlin and Marseille before completing a permanent switch to the Velodrome in 2022. He played one further season before being loaned out to Italy in a deal which included a £15m obligation to buy. Guendouzi, 26, has impressed in Italy and is not believed to be seeking a transfer, but InterLive claim the club would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £29m this summer.

Who else is interested in Matteo Guendouzi?

Title hopefuls Inter Milan’s interest in Guendouzi is a solid indication of the form the Frenchman is showing in Serie A. However, they are not believed to be the front-runners in the race to get the deal over the line, with Sports Witness instead reporting that Newcastle United along with Aston Villa are the main clubs competing for his signature.

The two clubs are thought to be in a superior financial position to Inter to get a deal over the line and are interested in enhancing their squads with Europe in mind next season.

It’s not the first time Aston Villa and Newcastle have gone after similar targets, with Emery beating Eddie Howe to the signature of the now departed Diego Carlos and Moussa Diaby along with Lucas Digne and Tielemans in previous transfer windows. The Magpies are however, ahead of Villa in the race for Champions League qualification, despite falling to a 4-1 defeat on their last visit to the West Midlands earlier this month.

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