Emerson Royal may have played it cool when asked about Aston Villa’s interest last week, but fresh claims from Brazil suggest the former Tottenham Hotspur defender has already made his preference clear behind the scenes.
Speaking after Flamengo’s friendly against Lausanne-Sport, the 27-year-old carefully avoided committing himself either way.
“I’m very happy to receive this proposal because it shows my work is being recognised. My focus is on Flamengo, but I don’t know what the future holds,” he said.
It sounded like a diplomatic answer. Now, however, local journalist Bruno Lemos reports there is rather less uncertainty inside Flamengo.
According to the reporter, Emerson Royal has informed the Brazilian club that his priority is to return to the Premier League if a transfer becomes possible. That, naturally, would suit Aston Villa.
Flamengo’s problem remains the same
The report adds that Villa have not abandoned the pursuit and are still waiting for Flamengo to reach a final decision. “Aston Villa continues to await a resolution”, Lemos said. The stumbling block, though, has not changed.
Bruno Lemos claims Flamengo are yet to find a replacement at right-back, preventing negotiations from moving forward despite the player’s apparent willingness to make the switch.
That fits with previous reporting from Brazil, where Leonardo Jardim has been credited with blocking the move because he does not want to weaken his squad without securing adequate cover for Guillermo Varela.
Villa waiting for Flamengo
From Aston Villa’s perspective, there appears to be little left to do for now. If Bruno Lemos’ information is correct, the player is open to the move and Villa remain interested.
The ball is instead in Flamengo’s court. Until the Brazilian side solve their right-back situation, Aston Villa’s pursuit looks set to remain on hold – even if Emerson Royal’s own preference now seems considerably clearer than it did when he faced the cameras.
