Sky Sport: The bold Leeds United and Aston Villa swap deal which could fill key void for both teams next season
Leeds United Set to Renew Interest in Aston Villa Playmaker Emi Buendía Amid Premier League Return
Fresh off their Championship title win, Leeds United are preparing for life back in the Premier League and are expected to reignite their pursuit of Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendía this summer. With promotion secured after two seasons in the second tier, the West Yorkshire club is eager to defy the growing trend of immediate relegation for newly-promoted teams.
That concern is not without basis. The 2023/24 campaign saw all three promoted clubs—Leicester City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town—plummet back to the Championship. It marked the second consecutive season that every promoted team failed to stay up, following the struggles of Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton Town the year prior. Such back-to-back relegations for all three newcomers is a rare phenomenon, previously seen only once before in 1997–98. In the previous 99 seasons, such an outcome had never occurred—a stark reminder of the widening chasm between England’s top two divisions.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke, who has twice guided Norwich City to promotion only to suffer relegation the following year, will be acutely aware of the challenges ahead. Therefore, upgrading the squad with Premier League-ready talent is a priority—and Buendía is emerging as a major target.
Buendía’s Uncertain Future at Villa Park
According to sources close to Caught Offside, Emi Buendía is no longer in Unai Emery’s long-term plans at Aston Villa. Once Villa’s club-record signing at £38 million, the Argentine playmaker has fallen down the pecking order and is entering the final 12 months of his contract.
Last season, Buendía made only 12 Premier League appearances before being sent on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. While he showed flashes of the creativity that once made him such a hot commodity, he failed to impress enough to earn a permanent move. With Villa looking to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), the club may be willing to accept a cut-price fee—believed to be in the region of £20 million—for the 27-year-old.
Since joining Villa, Buendía has made 99 appearances and delivered some notable moments, but he’s never fully recaptured the electric form he showcased under Farke during Norwich’s 2020/21 Championship-winning season, where he scored 15 goals and provided 16 assists. At Villa, he now finds himself behind a host of midfield options including Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, and Jacob Ramsey.
Leeds’ Search for a Creative Spark
Leeds are looking for a reliable, proven No.10 to provide the creative spark and goal contributions necessary to survive in the top flight. While Brenden Aaronson has occupied that role, questions remain about his physicality and consistency at Premier League level, despite scoring nine goals in the Championship last season.
Buendía, when fully fit, is a known asset at this level and has thrived under Farke’s guidance in the past. His familiarity with the manager’s system and Championship-to-Premier-League experience could prove invaluable to a side intent on avoiding the drop.
Although Villa are reportedly open to letting him go for £20 million, Leeds may attempt to negotiate a lower fee to preserve funds for reinforcements in other crucial areas—most notably in attack and in goal.
A Potential Swap Deal Involving Illan Meslier?
One intriguing development could see Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier head in the opposite direction as part of a potential swap deal. The French shot-stopper, now 25, has been the club’s No.1 for the better part of five seasons. Initially arriving from Lorient on loan during the 2019/20 campaign, Meslier stepped up during Kiko Casilla’s suspension and played a pivotal role in Leeds’ promotion, keeping seven clean sheets in 10 games.
He was quickly signed on a permanent deal and enjoyed a stellar first full Premier League season, helping the team finish ninth under Marcelo Bielsa. During that 2020/21 campaign, he made 140 saves—fourth-most in the league—and became the first goalkeeper under 21 to keep 10+ clean sheets in a Premier League season.
However, his trajectory has stalled. A disastrous run of form in April 2023, which saw Leeds concede 22 goals in seven matches, led to a loss of confidence and ultimately relegation. Meslier was dropped for the final games of that season and, despite playing 39 times this past campaign, struggled with form and confidence again—leading to his exclusion from the matchday squad during the run-in.
According to Mail Sport, Meslier is expected to leave this summer, and Villa could be a potential destination. With Robin Olsen departing and no clear backup to World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez, the Birmingham side is in need of an understudy. Meslier, despite recent dips in performance, still has time on his side and the raw talent to rebound.
A Deal That Could Benefit Both Clubs
A swap deal involving Buendía and Meslier could present a win-win scenario. Leeds would acquire a Premier League-proven No.10 familiar with Farke’s system, while Villa would gain a capable young goalkeeper to serve as Martinez’s deputy—potentially for minimal cash outlay.
Such a move would also help Villa alleviate financial pressure under PSR rules and allow Leeds to spread their budget across multiple positions without overspending. For Meslier, a move to a stable Premier League side could offer the fresh start he needs to reignite his career, while Buendía would reunite with a manager under whom he played the best football of his career.
As the transfer window approaches, expect talks to intensify. Leeds are ambitious about staying up, and Buendía could be central to those plans. Villa, meanwhile, may be ready to turn the page on a player who never quite met expectations—making this a summer storyline well worth watching.