OFFICIAL: Aston Villa complete Marco Asensio transfer

Aston Villa have officially completed the signing of Marco Asensio.

The former Real Madrid star joins the Birmingham club from PSG on a straight loan until the end of the season. Asensio is Aston Villa’s third attacking reinforcement after Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford.

Head coach Unai Emery is a long-time admirer of the Spaniard and targeted him in previous windows. Now, he finally has his man, although Aston Villa do not have the option to make his move permanent in the summer.

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY LIVE! All the latest transfers, rumours and gossip

The Villans will cover the entirety of Asensio’s salary for the next months. The 29-year-old joins after 18 months at PSG, which have largely proved underwhelming.

A winger by trade, Asensio primarily played as a centre-forward for the Parisians this season. In 16 appearances, which came mostly off the bench, he scored two goals and provided four assists.

Aston Villa sign Asensio

Asensio came through the ranks at Mallorca and later proved to be an effective forward for Real Madrid, although he wasn’t always a guaranteed starter. Still, his free transfer departure to PSG in 2023 came as a surprise.

He will now supplement Aston Villa’s attack, with Unai Emery potentially lining up a completely new-look frontline should Ollie Watkins ever be unable to play.

READ MORE: Premier League January transfers 2025 – All the Done Deals

Villa did not sign a like-for-like replacement for Jhon Duran, who joined Al-Nassr for a whopping €77m, but have instead signed three versatile attackers who can all feature in every conceivable attacking role.

Rashford has been handed Villa’s No.9 shirt, which suggests that he could potentially be the most likely centre-forward deputy for Watkins, although both Asensio and Malen have also featured as nominal strikers previously.

Asensio joins Villa having made 47 appearances for PSG in which he netted just seven goals and provided 11 assists.