Aston Villa in talks to appoint Barcelona director of football
Villa are in talks to appoint outgoing Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany in a senior role.
Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that Alemany will leave at the end of June, a year before his contract was due to expire, in order to pursue a new “professional project” and his destination is expected to be Villa Park.
The 60-year-old has previously held key roles at Valencia and Real Mallorca and has overseen recruitment at Barcelona since 2021.
It is unclear what his arrival would mean for Villa’s current sporting director, Johan Lange, though Jordi Cruyff has worked alongside Alemany in a similar position at the Nou Camp. Lange is thought to be highly regarded at Villa Park.
Villa have been linked with numerous director of football appointments since Unai Emery’s arrival and reports in Spain claim the head coach has played a major role in convincing Alemany to join.
The club were already known to be appointing former Real Betis talent spotter Antonio Benito as a Spanish-based scout.
The summer window will be just Emery’s second at Villa Park and an important one as he looks to build on an impressive start, which has seen the team transformed from relegation candidates to challenging for a first return to Europe since 2010.
