Aston Villa are reportedly in talks over selling a midfielder just a week after deciding to keep him.

Villa have rejected a first offer from VfB Stuttgart for playmaker Emiliano Buendia but discussions over his departure remain ongoing, despite Unai Emery only recently expressing his desire to keep him at the club.

Buendia, who joined Villa from Norwich City for £33 million back in 2021, was originally on the list of players Villa wanted to cash in on to help comply with PSR and SCR. But as pre-season went on, Emery came around to the idea of keeping Buendia and that thinking was only solidified further by Jacob Ramsey’s departure for Newcastle United.

It’s still possible Buendia leaves after all, though, as all parties are currently weighing up their options. The 28-year-old, who played 59 minutes of the recent 1-0 defeat away at Brentford, is now into the final two years of his contract, so this may be the last opportunity for Villa to bag a decent transfer fee.

Villa in talks over midfielder transfer

Stuttgart have tested Villa’s resolve this week, submitting an official bid. The Athletic reports that the German Bundesliga side saw a loan with an option to buy offer turned down. The deal isn’t dead in the water as ‘discussions around Buendia staying or leaving the club are ongoing’.

It’s mentioned that Buendia has expressed his desire to remain at Villa Park this campaign, though he’s open to going if the right opportunity arises. It awaits to be seen whether Stuttgart will be able to table a second offer Villa will be tempted by and whether Buendia is interested in the move, but it’s one to keep a close eye on.

Villa must decide what’s more important, Buendia, or the income his sale could rake in. The latter could help Emery’s side progress with incoming deals that would otherwise be difficult to complete, but there’s no doubting Buendia offers some handy cover.

Leeds United could enter Buendia fray

If Buendia is to leave, he may soon have another option on the table as Leeds United, who were interested in the Argentinian earlier in the summer, are reportedly still in the picture. The Whites are said to be in the market for a new attacking midfielder and they have been keeping tabs on Buendia’s situation.

Speaking to The Boot Room, reporter Graeme Bailey said: “Leeds want a winger and a number 10 – there are still a few deals to be done. Buendia hasn’t played much for Villa, so he could come back into the equation and possibly arrive on loan. Leeds also want to do a couple of other deals, they’ll be one of the busier teams trying to complete moves.”

Moving to Leeds could help Buendia reignite his career as he’s been used mainly as a substitute in the past couple of seasons. The former Norwich man did brilliantly when Emery first arrived but he was unable to force himself back into the starting XI after a host of injury setbacks. A loan to Bayer Leverkusen during the second half of last season didn’t help, either.