AC Milan manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed he blocked Pervis Estupiñán’s summer exit, after Aston Villa made concrete advances to secure his services.
The left-back spent five years at Brighton & Hove Albion and left them for the Serie A side in July 2025. Massimiliano Allegri didn’t utilise him regularly, limiting to 1,303 minutes from 22 matches.
That didn’t stop Aston Villa from making a strong push to bring him back to the Premier League. Unai Emery’s side wanted a new left-back after selling Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Milan appointed Ruben Amorim as Allegri’s successor, and the new manager had no plans of letting the Ecuador international leave.
Aston Villa came close to signing
In July, Sport Witness covered a report from Italy explaining that the Villans had agreed on terms with the 28-year-old. A deal was also close with the Rossoneri.
Later that month, we relayed news of Ruben Amorim having second thoughts about letting the Ecuador international leave.
Fast forward to October and the manager has confirmed he blocked the exit, with Calciomercato relaying his comments.
Milan paid €20m to sign Pervis Estupiñán and Aston Villa were close to agreeing terms for a fee around that region. When the former Sporting boss found about it, he put an end to this operation.
Amorim justifies blocking Aston Villa and others
The fullback has featured in every league fixture this season, playing 340 minutes from seven matches. He was on the bench for both Europa League matches.
“At the end of the transfer window, we had a list of clubs that wanted Estupiñán. But I said no. So, I want the fans to know that it was my responsibility,” he said.
Pervis Estupiñán has been subject to criticism from a section of Milan supporters. The former Manchester United manager defended his player amid fan backlash and Milan News have relayed his comments.
“Even at other clubs, sometimes the fans don’t like certain players too much. We have to help Estupiñán, we have to help the fans understand who Estupinan is: and I can assure you that Estupiñán works really hard,” Amorim explained.
“So, I want the fans to know that it was my responsibility. He’s playing because I chose Estupinan, because I believe in him and I’m convinced, he’ll be truly important for our team.”
“But I understood that feeling from the first game. We simply have to help Estupiñán, because we are a team: if one of our teammates suffers because of this, the whole team suffers with him and stands by him.”
The Europa League winners ended up signing Matteo Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid. He has five appearances so far for the Villans.
Senior club career stats
| Club | Years | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDU Quito | 2014–2016 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Granada (loan) | 2016–2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Almería (loan) | 2017–2018 | 27 | 0 | 2 |
| Mallorca (loan) | 2018–2019 | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| Osasuna (loan) | 2019–2020 | 39 | 1 | 6 |
| Villarreal | 2020–2022 | 73 | 0 | 3 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2022–2025 | 104 | 5 | 12 |
| AC Milan | 2025–present | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| Career total | 344 | 10 | 26 | |
including Granada B, excluded. No competitive first-team appearances
for Watford. Assists follow Opta definitions.
