Aston Villa are shopping in an expensive aisle again, and this time the name is Martin Baturina. According to Calciomercato, Villa are in the mix for the Como midfielder, with Manchester United and Tottenham also circling.
This is the context. Villa have already lost major quality. Youri Tielemans has gone to Manchester United after his £35 million release clause was triggered. Morgan Rogers is close to a British record £117m move to Chelsea. That is a lot of ball progression, creativity and end product walking out of the door in one summer.
Unai Emery has responded quickly. Johan Manzambi has arrived from Freiburg for around £59m, while Joao Gomes has joined from Wolves for £38m. Even so, the rebuild is not finished. It cannot be. If anything, the Baturina link underlines how much surgery Villa still need in midfield and around the attacking line.
Photo: IMAGO
Martin Baturina profile fits Villa rebuild
Baturina, 23, made a strong impression in Serie A last season after joining Como from Dinamo Zagreb only last summer. He is primarily an attacking midfielder, though he can drift left and operate in multiple roles. That versatility matters. Emery values players who can solve more than one problem, and Baturina looks like that type.
There is pedigree there too. He has already shown composure on the international stage with Croatia, and his development curve is obvious. Players like this attract attention quickly, particularly when they combine technical quality with tactical flexibility.
Transfer fee remains major issue
The number being discussed is around £70m, which converts from the reported €80m. That is serious money for a player with promise and production, but not yet a full body of elite-level dominance. Como are entitled to ask for it. Premier League clubs are entitled to hesitate.
That is where this becomes interesting. Villa need quality, but they also need judgement. Spending big after banking huge fees can be smart. It can also become…
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