Unai Emery will join this 'top club' after leaving Aston Villa - Ex-Villa scout

Unai Emery's next move after his time at Aston Villa is over will be to take over at Real Madrid.

That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 54-year-old has shown no indication of leaving as of yet, though there is a suspicion that he may be growing frustrated with the financial restrictions imposed on his team.

Emery's contract is set to run until 2029 and potentially beyond that, but there is growing fear that, at some point, he will consider his job at Villa done.

Europa League glory in May secured Champions League qualification and ended the trophy drought - for many, it felt like a pinnacle moment.

With Villa's struggles against the profit and sustainability rules, there may be a point at which Emery acknowledges that his team have come as far as they can.

Bryan King tips Unai Emery for Real Madrid

Emery had stints at both Arsenal and PSG between 2016 and 2019, but neither job seemed to suit him.

The Spaniard was surrounded by massive personalities in France, and struggled to impose himself in the big moments.

He remains one of just two PSG managers to fail to win Ligue 1 in a season since 2013, and although he won it in his second campaign, his tenure is largely remembered for Barcelona's staggering 6-1 comeback in 2017.

The job at Arsenal was very different and far more difficult. Emery was tasked with replacing Arsene Wenger after nearly 22 years, and arrived to a faltering squad.

After just over a year, the Spaniard was sacked and replaced by Mikel Arteta. Despite those failures, he may well remain keen to prove successful on the biggest stage.

"[Jose] Mourinho's on a two-year deal. Real Madrid. He's had two clubs in Spain before he came to Villa. He's also been to Arsenal. He's been to top clubs," King told Football Insider.

"So if he was going to leave, Real Madrid would be the club. I'm sure it'd be asked. I'm sure it'd be a name that would be put in the frame.

"Because if you do well at Bournemouth, you end up with a Liverpool job. If you do well at Villa, you could end up anywhere. You know, you don't win the Europa Cup five times, do you? With three different clubs, by the way."

Emery determined to win more at Villa

At one point this season, Villa looked as if they could be putting a genuine challenge for the Premier League together.

They ultimately fell away due to injuries and poor form, but that period may well have provided Emery with an inkling of a potential future.

"This is the first one and we are achieving and the experiences we are having is every important in how we can get better," Emery said in May.

"Trophies make sense of what we are doing. We are not going to stop.”