Aston Villa are entering the race to sign the £120k-a-week star who is now aiming to leave Man Utd.

Aston Villa are targeting a “fantastic” Manchester United player, with INEOS now set to offload him in the summer.

Villa are eyeing new additions despite financial concerns

Although Villa have been in Europe under Unai Emery, the manager is often limited in the transfer market, and former CEO Christian Purslow has suggested it may be some time before they start to compete with other top clubs.

Purslow says: “It’s very worrying if you’re a Villa or Newcastle fan. It’s going to take time to go through the meaningful and significant increase in revenue, which is needed to be competitive enough. It means you have to do it hard, beat those teams and hire footballers for half the wages. That’s not easy, year in and year out.”

Despite the financial limitations, the Villans are still punching above their weight, currently sitting in fourth place, and are determined to qualify for the Champions League, which will go some way to closing the revenue gap.

Having taken part in the Champions League, the Villans have begun to make plans for the summer transfer window, and bringing in a new central midfielder is now on the agenda.

Man Utd are willing to sell the “good” star for Villa keen

According to a report from Caught Offside, Man United are willing to offload Manuel Ugarte in the summer transfer window, while Aston Villa are now in the race to sign the Uruguayan midfielder.

The Red Devils have placed an asking price of €40m (£35m), and Ugarte is now looking to leave Old Trafford, with playing time dwindling as the season progresses.

It seems ‘very likely’ that the £120k-a-week Man United star will leave this summer, having fallen into disrepair since the arrival of Michael Carrick, who appeared as a substitute a few weeks ago.

Although United are now keen to cash in on the 24-year-old, he has impressed at times during his time in England, earning praise from journalist Liam Canning for his impressive performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup last season.

The defensive midfielder also averages more tackles (4.0) and interceptions (2.0) per 90 than any other Man United or Aston Villa player in the Premier League this season.

So, there are clear signs that Ugarte would be a solid addition to Aston Villa’s midfield, but a rumored £35m transfer fee would make him one of the most expensive players in their history.

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