Aston Villa officials were on Tuesday in Spain hoping to close a deal for Sevilla's transfer chief Monchi.
Villa boss Unai Emery identified Monchi - full name Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo - as his No1 target for a senior strategic role at the club after Mateu Alemany turned Villa down to stay at Barcelona.
But the deal is proving complicated. Monchi has a £1.7million release clause in his contract which Villa are prepared to pay, though the 54-year-old believes he should be allowed to depart for free as a gesture of goodwill.