Aston Villa line up immediate transfer replacement for Emi Buendia after he suffers season-derailing injury

ASTON VILLA are pushing to sign Nicolo Zaniolo to replace the recently injured Emi Buendia, according to reports.

The Argentine suffered a serious knee injury which could keep him on the sidelines potentially for the entire season.

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Buendia suffers injury which could keep him out for the foreseeable future[/caption]

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In a statement, Villa said: “The midfielder sustained the damage during training yesterday and has subsequently undergone a scan.

“Buendía will now be under review ahead of a further consultation with a knee specialist.”

Buendia was excellent in pre-season for Villa and the winger would have been a regular starter in the Premier League and Europa League.

But the Villans must not seek an alternative option.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Zaniolo is Aston Villa’s top target to replace Buendia.

The 24-year-old Italian is gaining interest from Villa who are “working on a deal”, it’s claimed.

Zaniolo joined Galatasaray just seven months ago for a fee of £13m.

According to another report from Marco Conterio, the Turkish giants want Villa to pay Zaniolo’s release clause of £26m.

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It has been a busy summer for Unai Emery’s side, signing the likes of Moussa Diaby only recently from Bayer Leverkusen.

Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans have also joined the club ahead of a big season in Europe for the Villans.

Villa are set to being their campaign against Newcastle on Saturday.