The future seems clear as Aston Villa has been handed £200M for the summer transfer and Manuel Ugarte names 22-year-old as number one target

Aston Villa £200million transfer news as Mateu Alemany makes 22year old star number one target

Aston Villa are set to make their European ambitions plain this summer, with Unai Emery to be given a war chest of up to £200million, according to The Sun.

The report shared that incoming director of football Mateu Alemany has also made Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte his first-choice marquee signing.

Alemany is currently finalising details of his move to Villa Park after a two-year stint at Spanish giants Barcelona, with the 60-year-old expected to be in position ahead of the opening of the transfer window.

The club’s new director of football looks like he wants to hit the ground running at Villa Park with the potential game-changing signing of Ugarte.

The 22-year-old has quickly emerged as one of the hottest prospects on the European scene after only joining the Portuguese side in 2021 for £5million, but now possessing a release clause of £52million.

Liverpool, Spurs and the Magpies have already been linked with the midfielder’s signature this summer, so if Villa were to jump to the front of the queue and get the deal over the line, it would be quite some statement.

Aston Villa are in need of further midfield depth heading into next season, with Leander Dendoncker, Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz in the club’s current crop of options in the middle of the park.

Aston Villa

Ugarte, who is a defensive-minded midfielder in the ilk of Kamara, looks to be a cut above the rest of Villa’s already strong options.

So far this season, the Uruguay international has averaged 3.9 tackles per outing, which is higher than Kamara (2.3), Luiz (2) and Dendoncker (1). [WhoScored]

He has also averaged 1.9 interceptions per game, which is double the amount of Kamara (0.8) and substantially higher than Luiz (1.1).

However, the impressive statistics don’t stop there, with Ugarte looking just as solid on the ball as he is off it.

The Sporting Lisbon star averages just shy of 50 passes per game (49.9) at a 91.4% success rate – which is in the 99th percentile of midfielders across the top-five European leagues. [FBREF]

If Alemany was looking for a statement signing to start his reign in the West Midlands, Ugarte fits the bill to perfection.

Even if Villa are pipped to the post for the midfielder by any of their Premier League rivals, this summer still looks like it will be a game-changing transfer window for the club.