Aston Villa strike blow to Manchester United and edge closer to Unai Emery contract renewal

Aston Villa are close to reaching an agreement with their Spanish manager Unai Emery over a new long-term contract, which would end Manchester United's hopes of signing him, according to journalist John Percy via The Telegraph.

Negotiations have seen positive developments following a meeting held by Unai Emery with club president Nassef Sawiris on Wednesday, attended by football operations president Roberto Olabe and football operations director Damian Vidagany. The attendees discussed the club's future and its long-term strategic directions, with an agreement nearing that would ensure the Spanish coach's continuation beyond 2029, the end of his current contract.

This comes at a time when Unai Emery's name has been associated with the Manchester United job over the past few weeks, amidst the uncertainty surrounding manager Michael Carrick's future. The club's sporting management has discussed the Spanish coach as a potential option to succeed him in the event of his dismissal. The report indicated that hiring Emery would cost United around £20 million to release him from his contract with Aston Villa.

Unai Emery took charge of Aston Villa in October 2022 and has since made a significant transformation in the team's fortunes, leading them to win the UEFA Europa League, as well as qualifying for the UEFA Champions League on two occasions, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the club's modern history.

Aston Villa has confirmed in an official statement following a meeting a joint commitment to continue developing the club under Unai Emery's sporting leadership beyond 2029. This includes laying the foundations for a long-term sporting and institutional project aimed at building an ambitious team capable of competing with top clubs and achieving further success.