Aston Villa are battling it out with other clubs in the chase for Atlético Madrid’s Mario Hermoso.
The defender’s deal lasts until the end of this season and on Tuesday, his agent admitted he’s “far away” from signing a new deal with the La Liga side. The representative had also opened the door for his client to make a switch to Serie A in the summer, but that focus was because he was speaking to the Italian media and asked specifically about it.
Calciomercato state Aston Villa have already made efforts to sign the 28-year-old on a free transfer in the summer.
It’s claimed the Spaniard has ‘received rich offers’ from unnamed clubs in Saudi Arabia and the Premier League, where Aston Villa are keen on signing him.
The report doesn’t provide any details of the English club’s proposal, but states they have been ‘pressing hard’ for weeks to try and reach an agreement that’s ‘certainly not that far away today’.
As well as Unai Emery’s side, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli have been named as interested parties.
Calciomercato state the Old Lady and the Rossoneri have made contact with Hermoso’s entourage but have decided to focus on other options.
Hermoso is demanding an annual salary of €5m per year – likely after tax – and that’s too high for both Inter and Napoli. Therefore, it’s becoming increasingly complicated for him to arrive in Italy in the next window.
This could help please Aston Villa, but they have to be wary of competition from the Middle East.
