Aston Villa to appoint outgoing Barcelona transfer chief

Aston Villa are set to make a major new appointment by bringing in outgoing Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 60-year-old has already been confirmed to be leaving the Catalan giants via a club statement, but Romano indicated on Wednesday afternoon that he is leaving to head to Villa Park.

Romano reported that the deal to bring Alemany to the Midlands has already been agreed, whilst also stating that Barcelona could not come close to matching Villa's offer financially.

It is the latest show of force by the ambitious Villa owners, who already lay down a marker by appointing Unai Emery as manager in November 2022.

A glittering career

Alemany has enjoyed a long career in Spanish football, dating back to his time at RCD Mallorca in the 1990s.

He initially joined the club as finance director, before becoming their CEO in 1993. His tenure coincided with the greatest period in the club's history, with them winning the Supercopa in 1998, reaching the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and finishing third in La Liga.

Mallorca went up another level once he became President in 2000, with Alemany securing the signing of Samuel Eto'o who scored the winning goal in the 2003 Copa Del Rey final.

He became General Director of Valencia in 2017, with the club finishing fourth in La Liga and reaching a Copa Del Rey semi-final the following season. They followed that up with another fourth-place finish, winning the Copa Del Rey and a Europa League semi-final in 2018/19.

His most recent role has seen the complete revival of Barcelona after years of stagnation under Ronald Koeman. Alemany has a mostly stellar transfer record and he leaves Catalonia with the club top of La Liga despite a precarious financial position.