Aston Villa interest in €60m signing is backed up – Multiple hurdles in their way

A week ago, Portuguese newspaper O Jogo broke the news of Aston Villa’s interest in Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

The outlet claimed that Unai Emery’s side had sent a scout to see the 21-year-old in action against Arsenal in the Europa League, and the emissaries liked what they saw.

It turns out Aston Villa’s chase for the player is once again mentioned by O Jogo in a new story today.

The outlet features a short peace covering the claims from Italy which said that AC Milan and AS Roma are both interested in the player as well.

After reporting the Serie A fight for the midfielder, the newspaper writes that a few Premier League clubs are also in this race, with Aston Villa getting a mention.

That’s a tough competition being formed, because according to the report, the likes of Newcastle United, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers are all attentive to Ugarte as well.

The player is protected by a €60m release clause, and according to recent reports, Sporting are already trying to renew his contract to push that price up.