Aston Villa have reportedly entered the race to sign Marco Asensio, with the club prepared to offer the attacker a lucrative contract to move to Villa Park on a free transfer.
The 27-year-old's deal with Real Madrid is due to expire at the end of June, and it is currently unclear whether he will be remaining with the Spanish and European champions.
Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti recently expressed a desire to keep hold of the Spain international.
However, speaking after the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on Saturday, Asensio admitted that he 'did not know' whether he would be signing a new contract at Bernabeu.
A number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, have previously been credited with an interest in the forward, while a number of Italian clubs are said to be monitoring the situation.
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However, according to The Athletic, Villa are also firmly in the race, with Unai Emery's side determined to secure his signature on a free transfer this summer.
The report claims that Villa are prepared to offer Asensio a lucrative salary, while recent developments have put the English club in a position to sign him.
Mateu Alemany is set to leave his role as Barcelona's director of football at the end of the season to move to Villa, while the club are said to have a strong relationship with Asensio's agent Jorge Mendes through Emery and co-owner Nassef Sawiris.
Villa are currently pushing for a European spot for next season, sitting eighth in the Premier League table, one point behind seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion and three behind Tottenham Hotspur in sixth.
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Asensio has again been a regular for Real Madrid during the 2022-23 campaign, making 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and contributing eight assists in the process.
The forward has only started 15 times in La Liga and the Champions League combined this season, though, with Rodrygo and Federico Valverde ahead of him in the pecking order for the spot on the right of a front three.
Asensio was involved in Real Madrid's Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City on Tuesday, although he was only given the final nine minutes of the match.
The Spaniard has now featured on 281 occasions for Los Blancos in all competitions, scoring 60 goals and registering 32 assists in the process.
Villa are likely going to need some form of European football for next season to stand a chance of signing Asensio, and they will be bidding to bounce back from successive defeats to Man United and Wolverhampton Wanderers when they host Tottenham on Saturday.
Matt Law
