Aston Villa Exclusive: Emiliano Buendia update today amid PSR latest
Unai Emery is desperate to see Emiliano Buendia receive a new contract at Aston Villa, sources have told Football Insider.
Buendia was heavily linked with a move away from Villa in the summer, but his performances so far in 2025-26 are understood to have seen him fall firmly back into favour with the boss.
The Argentine is out of contract with the second city outfit in the summer of 2027, but sources now say that Emery is keen to avoid the prospect of the midfielder potentially running down his deal.
The Spaniard is keen to keep hold of all of his key players during the January window, as the club’s PSR standing continues to pose difficulties in terms of strengthening his group.
Emiliano Buendia on course for his best ever season
Football Insider revealed back in August that Aston Villa were prepared to let Buendia leave amid interest from the likes of Leeds United, but they will certainly be glad that they altered their stance.
The former Norwich City star has been an integral part of the Villans’ excellent start to the campaign, with no member of the senior squad currently boasting more than his six goal involvements in the Premier League.
He struck a crucial stoppage-time winner against title favourites Arsenal last time out, and that goal was already his fourth of the season in league action.
Buendia has previously struggled to make a consistent impact in the Premier League, but he has had little issue with that this term, and he is already on course for the most productive top-flight campaign of his career.
He notched 10 league goal contributions for Aston Villa in his debut season for them back in 2021-22, but is already over halfway to that tally after just 13 games this time around.
Aston Villa still need to sell to meet new replacement for PSR
Football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley exclusively told Football Insider earlier this week that Aston Villa will likely still need to sell players in order to compete with the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules.
The Villans had their efforts in the transfer market in the summer limited hugely by their PSR standing, and with the SCR restrictions set to arrive in their place next summer, they will face a similar issue.
The incoming regulations dictate that teams will be allowed to use up to 85 per cent of their revenue on squad costs, with Villa likely to be forced to sell in order to buy once again.
As a result, the importance of impactful players like Buendia will only increase in the coming months, given that Emery and Co. lack the ability to strengthen their hand with expensive new arrivals.