Aston Villa prepare shock swoop for La Liga star in the January transfer window: report
Aston Villa are reportedly preparing to make a move for another defender from La Liga when the January transfer window opens.
Villa’s recruitment machine is still in motion after transfer deadline day and the prospect of strengthening Unai Emery’s squad in the middle of the season appears to be on the table. President of football operations Monchi is reportedly identifying targets already and reports of Villa’s interest are emerging.
The January market can be a tricky one and Villa are apparently intending to go in prepared, with reported links with Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and, now, Athletic Club defender Dani Vivian.
The 26-year-old has been an important figure at his boyhood club for a number of seasons, rising to prominence in Bilbao after a loan spell at Mirandés in 2021. He went on to cement a place in the Athletic first team and has developed into one of the most consistent performers in La Liga, combining aerial dominance with mobility and composure in possession.
Vivian is tied down to a contract that runs until 2032 but a release clause of £34.7 million could make him an attainable transfer target for Villa as well as Premier League rivals Manchester United and Newcastle United, who are also understood to be monitoring his situation.
Villa are believed to be in the market for a longer-term option in the right-sided centre-back position after the free transfer arrival of former Manchester United defender and Swedish international Victor Lindelöf on deadline day. Lindelöf is a short-term solution to a depth problem but Vivian would be seen as a young and more dynamic option with pace and aggression at the back.
A distinguished Basque talent
Vivian first broke into the Athletic team in the 2021/22 season under Marcelino García Toral, now Villarreal manager, who handed him a regular role alongside veteran Iñigo Martínez.
He made 27 appearances in that season and he added another 33 in all competitions in Ernesto Valverde’s team in 2022/23. To date, the defender has played 152 matches for Athletic in all competitions. His durability and consistency have made him a cornerstone of the Bilbao club’s defence.
Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Vivian is a senior Spanish international with nine caps to his name. Two of those appearances came as part of the squad that won the European Championship in 2024. He started in the group stage match against Albania and came off the bench in the semi-final against France.
Vivian isn’t a regular for La Furia Roja but his presence in the championship squad underlined his growing reputation at club and international level.
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