Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendía has publicly expressed his admiration for River Plate.
The attacking midfielder has been speaking to ESPN Deportes, and left the door open for a future move to the Argentine club.
Buendía struggled for regular minutes at Aston Villa in the first half of this season, with 89 minutes from 12 Premier League games.
The limited role under Unai Emery saw him linked to River Plate in January. The move didn’t take place, and the Villans let him join Bayern Leverkusen on loan in the winter market.
He plays alongside former River Plate midfielder Exequiel Palacios at the Bundesliga club. The Aston Villa owned player has revealed he’s chatted with his compatriot about the club. Palacios was part of River Plate’s squad which won the 2018 Copa Libertadores.
“We had some nice conversations, and I told him that thank God I was in Madrid and saw River Plate win the Copa Libertadores. Now I’m sharing a locker room with one of the guys who won it that day. I’ve always said I’m a River Plate fan,” he said.
The 28-year-old has made eight appearances for Xabi Alonso’s side, who have a €20m buying option. Earlier this month, Kicker reported Bayern Leverkusen have no plans to exercise the purchase clause.
Buendía’s contract at Aston Villa lasts until 2027. Despite expressing his love for River Plate, he has no plans to joining them in the near future.
“Right now, the truth is I don’t see it happening. I’m not thinking about it because I hope I have many years left in Europe, which I’m really enjoying,” Buendía explained.
“We’ll see in the future. Obviously, for me, River Plate is the most beautiful club in the world, and I’m a fan of it, and we’ll see what happens.”
