Aston Villa Interested In £15m PL Midfielder: Why Emery Should Move Away? | OneFootball

Manchester City are ready to cash in on Mateo Kovacic. According to a report from Sportsboom, as relayed by @DeadlineDayLive on X, Etihad chiefs will listen to summer offers for the Croatian international as his contract ticks down to its final year.

Aston Villa target City midfielder Mateo Kovacic

It was a miserable 2025/26 campaign for the 32-year-old. Pep Guardiola handed the playmaker just a single Premier League start, leaving him to rot on the bench. With his current deal expiring in June 2027, City want a decent fee now rather than losing him for nothing.

Two clubs have registered firm interest. Nottingham Forest see the veteran as an ambitious signing to steady their rocky midfield. Aston Villa are also tracking him, though Unai Emery’s side are playing for vastly different stakes with elite European football on the horizon.

Why Unai Emery must avoid the Kovacic trap?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Croatian soccer player Mateo Kovacic attends a game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Buying Kovacic makes no sense for Villa. None at all.

Emery just dragged this squad to a magnificent fourth-place finish. To build on that, the recruitment team needs sharp, forward-thinking upgrades, not ageing stars on the decline. Look at the current midfield squad. You have Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, and Ross Barkley. The engine room is packed.

City want around £15m. On top of that, Kovacic carries massive wage baggage that would completely wreck Villa’s current salary structure. Paying a premium for a player who barely kicked a ball last season is reckless business. He simply lacks the physical output and energy required for Emery’s intense transitional style. Forty-match seasons require serious legs.

Villa need dynamic, hungry assets. Kovacic has the medals from his Real Madrid and Chelsea days, but his tank is running dry.

Instead of stopgaps, Roberto Olabe and the scouting department must target younger profiles with high sell-on value. Someone like Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall brings the right kind of energy profile. Spending vital resources on a player whose peak is firmly in the rearview mirror represents a massive step backwards for a Champions League club. Aston Villa must stay disciplined in the market.