Aston Villa linked with shock transfer for wantaway Manchester City midfielder

Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in signing an under-used Manchester City midfielder with Champions League wins and a Premier League title to his name.

Villa are relatively well stocked in central midfield, with a good blend of quality, potential and different styles.

But with the need to improve the playing squad with each passing transfer window and the outsized player trading incentive of Premier League profit and sustainability rules, the idea of selling one or two won’t be far from the thinking of manager Unai Emery and Roberto Olabe, Villa’s new president of football operations.

One place they’re unlikely to be shopping to turn a profit is the Etihad Stadium. Nevertheless, it’s possible that they could be tempted by a player who’s proven he knows exactly what he’s doing at the very highest level.

According to reporting by Caught Offside, Mateo Kovačić is likely to be on the move and Villa are one of the clubs interested in acquiring his extensive top-level experience.

“The experienced Croatia international is no longer playing regularly for City, and he could get the chance to play more at West Ham or Aston Villa,” writes Mark Brus.

“Those two clubs are among his suitors at the moment, according to my sources, though there’s the sense that AC Milan could be leading the race for his signature.

“It’s suggested that Kovačić could be keen to be reunited with his fellow countryman Luka Modrić at the San Siro, but there is nothing advanced yet on this situation.”

Kovačić is a player who would have been considered beyond Villa’s reach throughout his career. That’s probably not true anymore, at least at face value, but with Milan also keen and Villa’s financial compliance under scrutiny, he probably still won’t be heading to B6 without a match ticket.

A four-time European champion

Now 31, Kovačić has won more silverware in his career than the entire Villa squad combined including serial Europa League winner Emery. He is, by any measure, a proven quantity.

The Austria-born Croatian international has won the Champions League four times with Real Madrid and Chelsea. He also won the Europa League in his time at Stamford Bridge before joining Manchester City.

In 2023/24, he added the Premier League title to his winner’s medal from La Liga seven years earlier. He’s an international centurion to boot.

Kovačić hasn’t necessarily fallen out of favour at City this season. After starting 25 times in 2024/25, he has played just five minutes in the Premier League this term as he recovers from summer surgery after an injury.

He returned to competitive action as a very late substitute against Everton last weekend and got another half an hour under his belt against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

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