Aston Villa consider eye-catching move for World Cup winner as Monchi plots raid on former club | OneFootball

Aston Villa target Gonzalo Montiel celebrates World Cup victory with Argentina teammates

Aston Villa are reportedly considering a move for Sevilla right-back Gonzalo Montiel as Unai Emery looks to bring in a replacement for Ashley Young.

The 26-year-old scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out for Argentina in the World Cup final against France last year.

Montiel is believed to be keen on a move to the Premier League and Aston Villa are leading the race for his signature.

Emery has already made several exciting additions this summer. Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby and Youri Tielemans all have the potential to be big players for the Villains this season.

The manager is looking to build on an excellent 2022/23 campaign, where he guided Aston Villa to an impressive seventh-place finish. As a result, they will be playing European football for the first time since 2011 this season.

Emery has a fantastic track record in European competitions and the Villa Park faithful will be hoping he can replicate that with the Midlands club.

Bringing in a proven winner like Montiel could be an excellent bit of business. According to Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo, Aston Villa have ‘made contact’ with Sevilla over potentially signing the right-back this summer.

Sporting Director Monchi still has a good relationship with Sevilla after leaving the Spanish club for Villa in June, which has reportedly given them the upper hand in negotiations.

Montiel made 28 LaLiga appearances for Sevilla last season, making three assists in the process. As mentioned, he also played a key role in helping Argentina win their first World Cup since 1986.

With that in mind, he could be a good addition for Aston Villa and provide competition for Matty Cash at right-back. Reports suggest he could be available for a fee in the region of £12m.

A separate report from journalist Dean Jones has confirmed that Montiel has been ‘mentioned’ as a potential replacement for Young, but there are other options on Emery’s shortlist, too.

“They are looking for depth at right back, and that comes on the back of Young leaving. So now they need someone to replace him,” Jones told GiveMeSport.

“Montiel is currently being mentioned as a potential candidate for that position, but I don’t think he is the only person they are looking at.”