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da bet esporte： Despite there not being a glaringly obvious link between Aston Villa and reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, aside from the two going head-to-head in two weeks, the west Midlands club could be a key benefactor from their latest reported decision.
The latest reports from The Sun suggest that Pep Guardiola has offered Fernandinho a 12-month contract extension after having a bigger than expected role amongst the side this season.
That is mostly because they splashed £63m on defensive midfielder Rodri from Atletico Madrid and the Brazilian has since filled the leadership void of Vincent Kompany, as well as being called upon to play centre-back amidst their injury crisis.
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Earlier in the summer, Dean Smith managed to snatch Douglas Luiz from the Citizens for just £15m as the young Brazilian was unable to feature for them due to not meeting specific work permit regulations.
Though, the move to the west Midlands enabled him to meet the criteria, which would have no doubt left Guardiola reeling as he once described the player as someone with ‘potential, real potential.’
As part of the deal, the former Barcelona manager installed a buy-back clause, so that the four-time Premier League winners could sign him back if he performs well at Villa Park.
Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…
But this latest move to extend Fernandinho’s contract could show that Guardiola is going down a different path, especially over the next 18 months or so, which can only be a good thing for Smith’s Villa.
It might mean that City are unlikely to come calling to enact on that clause, so therefore, Villa will be able to make the most of Luiz without having to worry too much about if he’s going to leave anytime soon.
When the move happened, it very much felt like an expensive loan deal, but that train of thought has since been banished.
Luiz has scored twice from midfield in just six appearances for the club, both strikes being from long-range, which proves in some way how true Guardiola’s words were.