Aston Villa have approached Unai Emery over their vacant managerial position, according to a report.
The Midlands side have been without a manager since Steven Gerrard was sacked last week after 11 months in charge following a poor start to the season, and they have been hunting for a replacement since.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa are prepared to pay his £5.25million release clause, though his current side Villarreal are hopeful the 50-year-old will reject the approach.
Emery has been in charge of the Spanish club since 2020, and led them to last year's Champions League semi-final, where they lost to Liverpool.