Newcastle United & Aston Villa keen on transfer of winger whose asking price has shot up to €65m | OneFootball

Newcastle United and Aston Villa are both keen on the potential transfer of Villarreal winger Alex Baena, though the deal won’t come cheap.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Newcastle have been eager to invest in a winger, with Barcelona star Raphinha previously on their radar, though it’s now clear that his improved form means he won’t be available.

Baena could also be tricky to sign, but looks slightly more realistic, with the 23-year-old valued at around €65m by Villarreal after his continued impressive performances.

Both Newcastle and Aston Villa have had scouts in attendance to watch Baena in recent games against Getafe and Real Valladolid, CaughtOffside understands, and both clubs have clearly been left impressed by the player.

Alex Baena with Spain (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Alex Baena transfer: Will he move to Newcastle or Aston Villa?

Baena is understood to be open to a move to the Premier League, so that wouldn’t be an obstacle, and it’s also felt that he’d be keen on working with Unai Emery again after they previously crossed paths at Villarreal.

That could perhaps give Villa a slight edge over Newcastle in this transfer battle, though it’s still too early to know for sure.

Both Newcastle and Villa could be tempting options for a talent like Baena, with the Spaniard sure to be interested in being a part of these ambitious projects.

Villa are in the Champions League this season after terrific work done by Emery as manager, while Newcastle will also hope to qualify again after appearing in the tournament last season.

Eddie Howe has done a fine job at St James’ Park and it’s easy to imagine Baena being a good fit for his style of football, so this will certainly be an interesting saga to keep an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.