Exclusive: Aston Villa set to beat Man United to excellent La Liga ace with €80m release clause | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Man United has begun and he’ll likely be looking to strengthen his squad in January, however, it’s possible he’ll lose out on one particular target to Premier League rivals, Aston Villa.

Under the guidance of Unai Emery and thanks to the studious transfer business of Villa’s director of football operations, Monchi, they are a team and a club that’s really going places.

Villa set to test Athletic Club resolve for Sancet

Perhaps with that in mind, CaughtOffside sources indicate that the Midlands-based outfit are in the box seat with regards to potentially tying up a deal with La Liga giants, Athletic Club, for their highly-rated attacking midfielder, Oihan Sancet.

Though sources have advanced that the Villains are likely to make a significant bid in the upcoming January transfer window, it’s understood that Sancet has an €80m release clause which will make any deal difficult.

Aston Villa want Oihan Sancet from Athletic Club. Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Indeed, sources also suggest that Villa are undecided whether to meet the release clause, though the board are apparently working on various strategies to make this transfer happen.

Aston Villa scouts have watched many of the Spaniard’s games this season and have been keeping a close eye on him because Emery believes Sancet can be successful in the Premier League.

This transfer is therefore being seen as an important step for the club’s future, and one which will help take them to the next level.

At present the club find themselves ninth in the Premier League but just one point behind Chelsea in third.

In the Champions League they’re eighth but have lost only one of their four matches and remain only a win behind current table-toppers, Liverpool.