Aston Villa manager Unai Emery plotting €40m move to reunite with ex-Arsenal star - Reports

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery reportedly wants the club to sign former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

According to RMC Sport (via Get French Football News), the Villans could be willing to spend nearly €40 million to sign Guendouzi from Olympique Marseille. The report added that the Premier League outfit are already preparing an initial offer of €30 million for the Frenchman.

Guendouzi joined Marseille from Arsenal on a permanent deal worth around £9 million only in the summer of 2022. He had previously spent the 2021-22 season on loan with the Ligue 1 club.

However, the aforementioned report indicated that the Ligue 1 side could be willing to sell him less than a year after bringing him in if they receive a big enough offer.

Guendouzi has notably been a key part of Marseille's starting XI this season. The midfielder has played in 15 of their 17 league games, recording a goal and two assists. He also scored twice in six UEFA Champions League games but couldn't stop his team from finishing last in their group.

The player has, however, helped Jorge Sampaoli's side sit third in the Ligue 1 standings, eight points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. The former Arsenal star was also part of France's squad in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar but featured just once, in the 1-0 group stage defeat against Tunisia.

Overall, he has won seven caps for Les Bleus, recording a goal and an assist.

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Unai Emery signed Matteo Guendouzi from Lorient while he was at Arsenal

Unai Emery previously worked with Matteo Guendouzi when he was the manager of Arsenal. The former Sevilla and Villarreal CF boss oversaw the purchase of Guendouzi from FC Lorient in the summer of 2018.

The player notably played 66 games across competitions under Emery for the Gunners, recording a goal and five assists.

However, the Spaniard's departure saw his playing time reduce, with current Gunners manager Mikel Arteta scarcely using him. Guendouzi featured just 12 times under Arteta before being shipped out on loan, first to Bundesliga side Hertha BSC and then to Olympique Marseille.

However, he was part of the Gunners' 2020-21 FA Cup-winning side before his loan spells.