Aston Villa take “crucial step” to secure top Champions League player on free transfer

Aston Villa are looking to add immediate quality to their team, and they’ve identified a former Bayern man.

If you enjoy CaughtOffside coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.

The Premier League is a brutal place. Aston Villa are the perfect example why.

Good management, good performances and success on the pitch should bring rewards. Instead, it often leads to your team getting picked apart by bigger clubs with deeper pockets, and that’s just what’s going on to poor old Villa right now.

Half of their starting team has been sold this summer, and Unai Emery’s team are scrambling to fill the gaps. With just over a week until the window closes, they need to get into gear, and the good news for them is that they appear to be close to signing an experienced Champions League player.

Aston Villa make pitch to top midfielder

Leon Goretzka has just left Bayern Munich after a successful spell there, and is now a target for Villa who want to snap him up on a free transfer.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Goretzka has “spoken to Unai Emery in the last 24 hours,” a “crucial step” in securing the midfielder. It’s not done yet – the former Schalke man still has to decide if Villa is the right move for him.

Villa can offer him Champions League football, and a project that has been on the rise in recent years. Of course, they will have to persuade him that they will be making further additions to improve the squad – but further additions will be a lot easier if the Germany international can be signed up.

Emery is going to have to roll out the red carpet and cross his fingers.

??? Leon Goretzka has spoken to Unai Emery in the last 24 hours, a crucial step to open doors to Aston Villa move.

The agreement is getting closer between the parties as Goretzka will give final answer to #AVFC soon. pic.twitter.com/siwfRFerHL

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 22, 2026