Aston Villa Handed Real Opportunity To Sign 23-Year-Old: What Should Emery Do? | OneFootball

AS Roma are in a proper mess. A report from Sport Witness claims that the Italian club must find roughly €80m in capital gains before June 30 to satisfy UEFA’s financial regulators. It is a mad scramble. Because of this, Matias Soule is on the chopping block. The 23-year-old Argentine bagged six goals and five assists in 29 Serie A matches this term, but a sluggish second half of the campaign left management underwhelmed. They want him gone.

Aston Villa handed a clear run at Soule as Roma panic over the financial deadline

Villa have already dipped a toe in the water. Roma want between €35m and €40m, knowing a sale at that price bags them a tidy €23m capital gain. The leverage sits entirely with Villa and Unai Emery.

Italian outlets suggest Roma need this cash to fund a move for Marseille’s Mason Greenwood. The French side want €50 million, while Roma are plotting a €40m package. It is a classic transfer merry-go-round. Roma must sell Soule to buy Greenwood, meaning the clock is ticking loudly in the Eternal City. Soule wants the move to Birmingham. He has told his agents as much. With Donyell Malen’s permanent switch from Villa Park to Rome smoothing relations between the hierarchy, the groundwork is already laid.

What should Emery do?

NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 15: Matias Soule of AS Roma during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and AS Roma at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 15, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Emery needs to stop hovering and bid. Borussia Dortmund are sniffing around, and waiting until the final week of June is a massive gamble.

Soule is a perfect tactical fit. He created 1.9 chances per 90 minutes last season, putting him in the top tier of European attackers. He progresses the ball quickly. He takes risks. More importantly, Villa need insurance. Manchester United are heavily tracking Morgan Rogers as a long-term replacement for Bruno Fernandes. Losing Rogers without a backup plan would ruin the squad depth needed for the Champions League. Soule fixes that problem instantly.

The money makes sense, too. The Malen sale brought in around €25m, meaning Villa have the cash ready to deploy. Roma are desperate. They are staring down a financial barrel. A firm £30m bid right now gets this done, below the asking price but too valuable for a panicked Roma board to reject. Dortmund will act if Villa do not. Emery must stop testing the waters and trigger the transfer before the Germans hijack the deal.