Unai Emery gives blessing for Aston Villa star to join Leeds
Leeds United may be set to complete their first signing of the summer with help from Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.
Daniel Farke is keen to add experienced Premier League talent to his squad as they bid to secure their top-flight status.
The Whites have been linked with the likes of Kostas Tsimikas and Caoimhin Kelleher but it seems that their opening addition will be a different elite player.
Buendia gets Villa blessing for Leeds move
Emi Buendia has been on Leeds’ radar for a number of years and they tried to bring him in on loan in the winter window.
A report from Sebastian Vidal (30 May) claims that the Elland Road outfit are preparing a £16.8million bid for the 28-year-old.
It states that Farke hopes to reunite with the Villans star after their time together at Norwich and Emery has given his blessing to the move.
Buendia would be a great move for Leeds
Farke got the best out of Buendia when the duo previously worked together with the Canaries so it is no surprise that he is pushing for the move again after failing to land him last winter.
The Argentine has failed to hit the heights that he reached at Carrow Road, when he notched 15 goals and 16 assists in the 2020-21 Championship season before earning to move to the Villans.
| Stats (Premier League) | Buendia |
| Matches | 121 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 15 |
| Minutes played | 6,875 |
A reunion with his former manager could be the perfect tonic to rediscover his form after a miserable spell in the Midlands, in which he has scored nine league goals and notched eight assists in 85 matches.
If Buendia can find his brilliant creative best once again under Farke, it would be a great addition for Leeds, who are in desperate need to game-changing players to help their survival bid as he could unlock the likes of Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph or a new addition.
Given Emery’s blessing for the move, it could be a pretty simple one to get over the line and the Whites should take advantage as there is still a player there, he just needs the right circumstances to thrive.