Aston Villa ready to push for Levante defender Marc Pubill?

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has reportedly set his sights on adding another Spanish defender to his squad in the form of Marc Pubill.

Emery is currently attempting to take the West Midlands outfit to the next level after guiding the club to a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League during 2022-23.

Having secured Europa Conference League football in the process, Villa have been able to attract a higher standard of player in recent weeks.

Villarreal defender Pau Torres, Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans and Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby have all made eye-catching transfers to link up with Emery's squad.

However, the former Sevilla and Villarreal boss remains in the market for fresh faces for different positions and with the future in mind.

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According to reports in Spain, that has led to Emery taking an interest in acquiring the signature of young defender Pubill.

The 19-year-old spent the most recent campaign plying his trade in the second tier with Levante, making a total of 28 appearances for a team that missed out on promotion in the playoff final.

Nevertheless, in the preceding season, the right-back accumulated 499 minutes in La Liga across 11 outings, and he has since only enhanced his reputation.

Holding a contract until 2026, Pubill is theoretically tied to Levante for another three years, yet his club need to boost their financial position as soon as possible.

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Javier Calleja is seemingly likely to see one of his key men depart the club before the end of the summer transfer window, with €5m (£4.3m) said to be enough to get a deal over the line.

That said, Levante reportedly want to possess a significant future sell-on clause, something which has the potential to act as a stumbling block in negotiations.

Real Betis and Sevilla also allegedly hold an interest in Pubill, although it remains to be seen whether they are willing to spend the same amount of money as Villa.

Pubill is a two-cap Spain Under-19 international, while he is also capable of deputising at centre-back and right wing-back.