Monchi can complete intriguing £8.4m transfer as Aston Villa blueprint becomes clear
Aston Villa are reportedly tracking Werder Bremen playmaker Romano Schmid, who will be available for a cut-price fee next summer.
The 24-year-old is due to enter the final year of his deal with Werder Bremen at the end of the season after being under contract with the German side since January 2019. He was loaned to Wolfsberger AC from Austria for one-and-a-half years shortly after joining Bremen.
Schmid became a first-team regular last season, starting 30 of the club's 34 Bundesliga matches, and he registered 11 goal contributions, scoring four goals and making seven assists. He has only scored once and assisted once in all 11 of Bremen's league matches this term, but his underlying numbers have been impressive.
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A nimble, creative number 10, Schmid has recorded the second most progressive carries (47) in the German top-flight this season, with only Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz completing more at this stage. He has also completed 13 carries into the penalty area, which is bettered by only six players in the division.
Despite Schmid's low output so far this term, he has produced chances for teammates after registering the sixth-most goal-creating actions (sixth in Bundesliga) and 90 shot-creating actions.
Of all players in Europe's top five leagues, Schmid has the third-most passes into the penalty area, with the likes of Lamine Yamal (30), Wirtz (31) and Michael Olise (32) ahead of him. Villa's Youri Tielemans has played as many through balls (eight) as Schmid, which is the fourth-most in Europe's top five leagues.
Sky Germany claim that Villa have scouted Schmid live on several occasions and while a summer transfer could cost around £8.4m, a January move hasn't been discounted.
Monchi's budget isn't particularly flexible due to the strain caused by PSR and UEFA's squad cost control rules. Villa had to sell before buying last summer and failed to get a final transfer over the line at the end of August.
Versatile defender Lutsharel Geertruida was being chased until the final days of the window, but a move hinged on Diego Carlos leaving the club. The Brazilian remained in the Villa squad as a move away didn't materialise.
Last January, Villa signed Morgan Rogers in a deal worth just £8m, rising to £15m after add-ons. Monchi will look for similar cut-price deals in the January window in a bid to improve Emery's squad.
Villa's transfer blueprint is to sign players who can develop under Emery and Schmid certainly fits the bill. He will turn 25 in January, but has plenty of room for growth. While it's unclear what his price tag would be in January, considering he is available for less than £10m in the summer, this presents excellent value for a player who is showing great promise in the Bundesliga.
Schmid is also a full Austria international and has featured in all of their last 17 matches. He scored his first international goal at Euro 2024 in Austria's 3-2 win against the Netherlands. He also bagged in a 1-1 draw with Slovenia earlier this month.
