Daniel Farke's former player Emiliano Buendia could soon leave Aston Villa due to a lack of game time.

As recently as last summer, the 28-year-old was of interest to a number of clubs who wanted to take him on loan, but Unai Emery wanted to keep him in the squad. Leeds United were among the chasing pack with chief executive officer Angus Kinnear lifting the lid on their failed transfer pursuit - at that juncture.

"I can talk specifically about two examples, two players we thought would fit the bill, two players who would be significantly better than who we have currently," he explained. "Bearing in mind, we're looking at replacing a £40m player, which is obviously going to be challenging at Championship level.

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"Buendia was on our list and very clearly from Aston Villa, wasn't going to be released, and the player didn't want to come back down to Championship level, he felt he'd served his time at Championship level."

This time around, though, Villa have left the door open for for a loan exit this month. So with that said, LeedsLive has taken a look at the latest new and headlines surrounding Buendia's future;

Dream transfer

River Plate have been credited with an interest in Buendia with DSports Radio (via BirminghamLive) reporting that an enquiry was made to Villa about the conditions of a possible deal. The 28-year-old playmaker is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract in the summer.

Buendia's family are River Pate supporters and he has previously spoken about wanting to play for them in his career. "I'm from River (a fan of River Plate), a family of River since I was young," he told ESPN Argentina in 2023.

"I like to follow them, I try to follow Argentine football even though it costs because of the time difference. I have always dreamed of playing with a ball - playing with River. I never closed the door but today, my head is in Europe. Tomorrow, we will see. I would like it because it's the club I support, but we will see in the future."

Unai Emery 'permission'

As he continues to fight for minutes this campaign - and is yet to make his first start - Emery said the club would understand if he wanted to move on for more minutes. "Always we are trying to improve the team," the Spaniard responded when asked about Buendia's future in Friday's press conference.

"The players who are here with us, always we are supporting them.

"He had last year a long injury, but he started this year progressively getting better. He didn't [feel] 100 per cent in the season until now, but now he is playing more minutes and helping the team.

"But maybe he can have the possibility to leave. For him, it could be something where he can play more, get more minutes, get confidence again and being comfortable playing, again in the starting XI. Of course, now he is helping us and I am happy with his attitude."

Asked if Villa wouldn't stand in his way if he wanted to depart, Emery replied: "Of course, playing more minutes, he can feel better."

Emi Buendia stance

Although the Argentina international has not, formally, opened up about his future, South American AS journalist Eduardo Burgos claims Buendia's 'goal' is to stay in Europe and adds that his representatives have flown to London to discuss his future.

Whether he will leave Villa Park this month remains unclear.

Daniel Farke response

Farke was reluctant to comment when asked about Buendia - who he coached at Norwich City. "I never comment on players under contract for other teams because I wouldn't expect any other manager to make comments about my players," he said.

"We only speak about transfer business once business is done. I have read the comments because I'm interested in football and the Premier League. Obviously I have worked with Buendia, he was one of my best players at Norwich. I really rate him, but I don't comment on a player who right now is playing at a different side."

Contract details

Buendia joined Villa in the summer of 2021 from Norwich in a deal worth around £33m - and has made a total of 95 appearances for the club in all competitions. He is under contract until the summer of 2026.