Newcastle United and West Ham United join Aston Villa in race for £12m midfielder

Newcastle United and West Ham United have reportedly joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Marseille star Matteo Guendouzi.

The former Arsenal midfielder joined the Ligue 1 giants on a permanent deal last summer after spending the entirety of the previous season at the Stade Velodrome. His form has been impressive over the last nine months as he scored five goals and provided four assists in 38 appearances in all competitions to help his side lead the best of the rest behind runaway league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking ahead of converting his loan deal into a permanent switch, Guendouzi spoke of his admiration for the club, saying: “Am I more recognised [in France] since I’m at OM? Yes, because it’s the biggest club in France, and it’s well-followed abroad. I was already being followed when I was at Arsenal, but I feel my renown has grown since I’m at Marseille. (Criticism) It doesn’t bother me, everyone has their own opinion on football players. I remain concentrated on what I have to do. The most important thing is that I’ve been adopted by the people of Marseille.”

Guendouzi’s form was rewarded at international level as he went on to collect seven senior France caps after making his debut in a 2-0 win against Finland in November 2021 and was also named in their World Cup squad earlier this season, making a late substitute appearance in their shock 1-0 group stage defeat against Tunisia.

His form for club and country led Villa to explore the possibility of handing the 24-year-old a second crack at the Premier League during the January transfer window but were unable to agree a deal with Marseille. However, their interest is still alive according to French outlet, L’Equipe. They claim the French club are planning to allow several players to leave during the summer transfer window as they look to remodel their squad and Guendouzi is said to be one candidate that could be allowed to depart if a sufficient offer is received.

Newcastle and West Ham are said to have monitored the midfielder during the season but Aston Villa remain his ‘most credible destination’ for a summer transfer in a deal that would see Guendouzi reunited with his former Arsenal manager, Unai Emery.

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