Aston Villa enter race to sign star on £120,000-a-week as he looks to leave Man United

Aston Villa have set their sights on Manchester United’s ‘fantastic’ player, with INEOS set to release him in the summer.

Villa considering new additions despite financial concerns

Villa have been consistently active in Europe under manager Unai Emery, who has often had very limited activity in the transfer market, with former CEO Christian Purslow suggesting it may be some time before they start competing with some of the top clubs.

Parslow said: “If you’re a Villa or Newcastle fan, it’s very frustrating. It’s going to take time to break through the significant meaningful revenue increases needed to be properly competitive. That means you have to do it the hard way by beating those teams while employing footballers on half their salaries. That’s not easy every year.”

Despite the financial constraints, the Villans have still performed above their potential and are currently fourth, firmly on track to qualify for the Champions League, which should help close the income gap.

Now that they have qualified for the Champions League, the Villans are starting to make plans for the summer transfer window, with the signing of a new central midfielder currently on the agenda.

Manchester United keen to sell ‘fantastic’ star player along with Villa Keane

Man United are set to offload Manuel Ugarte in the summer transfer window, with Aston Villa jumping into the race to sign the Uruguayan midfielder, according to a report from Caught Offside.

The Red Devils have set their asking price at €40 million (approximately £35 million) and Ugarte is now seeking a move away from Old Trafford, given his game time will become more limited as the season progresses.

The Manchester United star, who earns £120,000 a week, has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Michael Carrick and has mainly featured as a substitute in recent weeks, but it looks “increasingly likely” that he will move this summer.

United are currently keen on signing the 24-year-old, but he has impressed at times during his time in England, earning praise from journalist Liam Canning for his excellent performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup last season.

The defensive midfielder has also averaged more tackles (4.0) and interceptions (2.0) per 90 than any other Man United or Aston Villa player in the Premier League this season.

As such, there are clear signs that Ugarte could be a solid addition to Aston Villa’s midfield, but his rumored transfer fee of £35 million would make him one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history.