Aston Villa are reportedly plotting a January swoop for Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez.
New Villa boss Unai Emery has started his second stint in England with back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester United and Brighton, respectively. With the World Cup break having started from Monday, the Spanish tactician has wasted no time in planning for the arrival of new faces in January.
According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Aston Villa want to sign Nacho Fernandez from Real Madrid in the mid-season trading period.
Nacho, 32, is currently not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and may be allowed to leave Real Madrid in January, especially with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The Spanish defender has been at Madrid since joining their academy some two decades ago but his time at the club is seemingly coming to an end.
The report adds that Florentino Perez knows it is the club’s last chance to get a fee for Nacho and is ready to negotiate his sale for a very low fee.
Nacho Fernandez to Aston Villa—Good option for the Villans?
In Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne, Emiliano Martinez, John McGinn and Danny Ings amongst others, Unai Emery has inherited a solid squad from Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa. Even though Villa were dumped out of the EFL Cup third round by Man United, two Premier League wins out of two has given Emery the start he would have hoped for.
Emery, 51, has prioritised strengthening two areas in his squad—the defence and wide positions—in the winter transfer window. The Villans are missing a highly experienced defender on their side, with Diego Carlos out with a long-term Achilles problem and Tyrone Mings blowing hot and cold.
Diego Carlos was signed in the summer from Sevilla but ruptured his Achilles in August, ruling him out long-term. The likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers are simply not consistent enough through which Emery can build a strong base at the back.
Thus, the Villa boss is looking for defensive reinforcements and has his eyes set on Real’s Nacho Fernandez. Game time has been hard to come by this season for Nacho as he has made just 10 appearances in all competitions.
Since making his debut for Real Madrid back in 2011, the 32-year-old has amassed a respectable 285 senior-team appearances, winning a whole host of trophies in more than a decade-long service. Despite never truly establishing himself as a regular starter at the club, Nacho has been a reliable performer and been something of a cult hero at Santiago Bernabeu.
What truly stands out is his versatility to play almost anywhere across the defence, and that flexibility mixed with his rich pedigree, volumes of experience and winning mentality, should make Nacho a good fit at Villa. The Spaniard could make an immediate impact at Villa Park if the club manages to pull off his signature.
On an apparent cut-price deal in January, Nacho could prove to be a shrewd acquisition for Emery and Aston Villa.
