Aston Villa ready to launch summer move over ex Celtic star as Unai Emery keen on realising long term interest
The former Celtic player has reportedly emerged on the transfer radar at Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are reportedly ready to launch a summer transfer move for one star formerly of Celtic.
The Villans are vying for Champions League football next season in the Premier League and currently sit fifth. Just two spots below them are Bournemouth, who are vying for a first foray on the continent, having shone under Spanish boss Andoni Iraola. He will be replaced by German head coach Marco Rose and Ryan Christie could also make way from the Cherries with Iraola.
Unai Emery at Aston Villa is said to be a major admirer of the star headed for the World Cup with Scotland and who has a long-standing friendship with Lions captain John McGinn. Christie has played almost 200 matches for Bournemouth since leaving Celtic, who he appeared 151 times for wiht 42 goals and 44 assists over a six-year period, winning seven major trophies.
What former Celtic player do Aston Villa want to sign?
Claims in The Sun state: “Aston Villa are ready to unite Ryan Christie with his international team-mate John McGinn. SunSport understands Villa boss Unai Emery holds a long-time interest in Scotland star Christie. The ex-Celtic ace has just one year left on his Bournemouth deal after another sparkling season.
“Cherries chief Andoni Iraola — a huge fan of Christie — is leaving to be replaced by German coach Marco Rose. And it’s understood Emery is monitoring developments on the south coast with a view to stepping up interest in Christie this summer. It’s understood that flexibility is part of the attraction for Emery, who also recognises the Scot’s close friendship with Villa skipper McGinn.”
Christie’s thoughts on life south of the border compared with time in Glasgow has been compared in a recent excerpt from 'A LONG TIME COMING: The Inside Story of Scotland's Journey Through the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.’ He said: "As a squad, we rarely look at the media narrative.
Ryan Christie on life at Bournemouth
“We have to just focus on the game. When you do press after a game, it's hard to avoid it, but beforehand, we like to keep ourselves in a bubble. One of the nice things about meeting up with the boys is chatting about Scottish football. I still keep an eye on Inverness.
"It's only when you step away that you realise how mad it is. It's a really strange aspect of life. The better you are for Celtic, the worse your life is because you can't do as much away from football. It's a huge sacrifice if you want to be successful.
“I'm glad I have Ben (Gannon-Doak) at Bournemouth now because until then, I had nobody to speak to about Scottish football. I could have mentioned what was happening with Hearts, and the lads would say, 'Who're they?' Bournemouth is the total opposite. I could walk through the town centre in my full kit, and nobody would stop me. It starts at 3pm on a Saturday and ends a few hours later."
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