Aston Villa are among the clubs providing tough competition to Inter Milan in the race to sign Atlético Madrid’s Mario Hermoso in the summer, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
On Wednesday, Calciomercato reported Unai Emery’s side have made a ‘rich offer’ to the 28-year-old.
Hermoso’s contract expires in June and his agent has said a renewal with the La Liga side doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
With the centre-back set to leave Diego Simeone’s side as a free agent, Gazzetta state Inter, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Napoli and a few Saudi Arabian clubs have lined up to sign him.
The Nerazzurri find the Spaniard’s demand of €5m per year salary to be high. They’re starting to give up on him and look at other targets, including Red Bull Salzburg’s Oumar Solet.
The Frenchman could be available for €10m after this season, a year after the Austrian club asked for €20m. Inter could consider signing 24-year-old Solet, who is four years younger than Hermoso.
This suggests they’re aware Aston Villa stand in a better position right now. As of now, it looks like Unai Emery’s side are the closest to securing a deal for the defender.
