Aston Villa could get a close look at summer target Ruben Vargas during the international break, with the winger working towards his return from injury.
Villa will face Sevilla in the XV Antonio Puerta Trophy, and Vargas is now back doing part of his training with the squad.
The curious bit here is that Aston Villa were linked with the Switzerland international during the summer, when Sevilla were still reluctant to lose him.
Now Unai Emery’s side could see him up close, just as the 27-year-old starts making his way back.
Vargas back with Sevilla squad
Orgullo Biri report Vargas completed part of Tuesday’s session with his Sevilla teammates. He also worked individually as he continues his rehabilitation programme for a problem in his right knee.
Mundo Deportivo backed that up. They explain Vargas is gradually being reintegrated into the group under Sevilla’s medical plan.
Neither outlet says he is certain to face Aston Villa. Sevilla clearly aren’t rushing him after several weeks out. The winger has barely featured this season because of the injury.
Still, the friendly is the match they are currently preparing for. That at least gives Vargas something to work towards as he steps up his recovery.
Convenient timing for Aston Villa
Sevilla weren’t particularly interested in selling Vargas in the summer, but that situation may look rather different when January arrives.
As we covered earlier this week, Sevilla are now said to be preparing a winter sale. They reportedly want around €18-20m (£15.6-17.3m) for Vargas.
Bournemouth have already had two bids rejected, while several other Premier League clubs have been credited with interest.
So that makes Saturday’s friendly quite well timed for Aston Villa. If he does get some minutes, Villa will have the perfect opportunity to see how one of their summer targets looks after his spell on the sidelines.
And with Sevilla apparently much more open to a January sale, that could be useful information to have.
