Leeds United plotting move to sign Aston Villa star | OneFootball

Premier League targets are on the minds of those at Elland Road this summer.

Leeds United are reportedly still interested in signing Aston Villa winger Emi Buendia this summer.

Top flight talent is on the agenda for the Whites' hierarchy this summer.

It's been a couple of seasons now since the club was last in England's first football division and, while they have retained a lot of players who were part of that relegated 2022/23 squad, their current makeup almost certainly wouldn't be enough to keep them in the volatile competition that is today's Premier League.

Additions are mandatory for any newly promoted club, and even that hasn't been enough for the six teams that have gone up since Leeds' drop - they've all ended up in the bottom three.

Leeds eye Emi Buendia summer deal

Leeds, though, may have the best chance of all the clubs that have gone up over recent seasons to survive. They achieved 100 points last season, winning the Championship along the way, and scored 26 goals more than any other team in the second tier. But they obviously feel that the driving force of their team, the attack, needs a bit more horsepower added to it.

Buendia, a former Championship Player of the Season with Norwich City, is someone that they like the look of heading into the upcoming window, according to Ben Jacobs.

The Argentine has been with Villa since he won promotion with current Leeds boss Daniel Farke in 2021, when he picked up the aforementioned individual award.

His time at Villa Park has been hampered by injuries and competition for spots in a team which is full of wide talent. As a result, Buendia was sent on loan to Bayer Leverkusen in January, but he only managed three starts for Xabi Alonso's side. He was linked with a move to Elland Road before jetting off to Germany.

Villa bought the winger from Norwich for £33 million. Leverkusen had the option to buy him at the end of his loan spell for £17 million, one that they haven't taken up, but that should give an indication as to what Leeds might be able to get Buendia for this summer.

Leeds have also been linked with Gus Hamer as well as the 28-year-old. They reportedly had a bid of £13 million rejected by the Blades for the Dutchman last summer, but now that they failed to achieve promotion, losing out to Sunderland in the play-off final, it is expected that Hamer will leave Bramall Lane.

Leeds United don't need to make risky moves this summer

£120 million has been generated by the South Yorkshire club to help with their Premier League transfer kitty, as well as the redevelopment of their stadium, so they shouldn't be short of money to spend this summer. Villa, on the other hand, need to sell players in order to buy them - an issue that was made worse by missing out on next season's Champions League.

All this could make a deal for Buendia easier, but it's not one that Leeds should necessarily be jumping at. He has struggled to make a real impact on the English top flight in all four seasons that he has played in, which should give Farke some cause for concern when it comes to a deal for him.