Aston Villa are unlikely to pay Oscar Mingueza’s release clause this summer, given his contract is due to expire next summer.
That’s according to Estadio Deportivo, who report that any claims of Aston Villa or other suitors paying the defender’s release clause are wide of the mark given his contract status.
They explain Celta de Vigo have to make a decision with Mingueza as the defender approaches the final year of his current deal.
The ideal option would be to renew him as he’s a key player, but the reality is that they need to sell players to ‘square’ their accounts and he’s one of the player’s with the highest market value.
The problem on that front is that Celta only receive half of that as Barcelona retained 50% of his rights when he left on a free transfer in 2022.
Several European teams are watching him, and Aston Villa are one of them, having already been linked in the January transfer window.
Estadio argue it would be ‘difficult’ for them or any other suitors to pay his current release clause as his current deal expires in June 2026. It would make little sense for them to pay big now, when they can negotiate with him over a free transfer from January.
That scenario also puts Celta in an awkward position. They’d like to sign Mingueza to a new deal and that is the priority but if they can’t, they know they have to sell now to avoid losing him on a free.
The most likely option is that they sell now, and Aston Villa are interested, but any notion of them paying his release clause can be dismissed as it wouldn’t make any financial sense.
