Report: Aston Villa to sign Arsenal target Buendia for club-record £30M

Aston Villa are on the verge of signing midfielder Emi Buendia from newly promoted Norwich City for a club-record £30 million plus add-ons, beating out stiff competition from Arsenal, according to The Telegraph's John Percy.

Norwich agreed to a deal with Villa after turning down a bid from Arsenal, The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano reports.

The transfer could reportedly cost as much as £40 million with bonuses, eclipsing the reported £28 million Villa spent to sign Ollie Watkins from Brentford last summer.

Norwich are apparently cashing in on Buendia despite achieving promotion to the Premier League. The 24-year-old registered 14 goals and 16 assists as the Canaries finished first in the second-tier Championship. He was also named the division's player of the season for 2020-21.

Norwich will net a huge profit on Buendia, who joined on a permanent transfer from Getafe in 2018 for a paltry £1.5 million.