Aston Villa have opened talks over a new contract for Emiliano Buendía, whose current deal expires in June 2027, with the club holding an option to extend it by a further year.
The Daily Mail reports Villa are keen to make progress before that period shrinks to 18 months, reflecting how central the Argentine has become to Unai Emery's plans after a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes.
Buendía was so far out of favour in the summer of 2025 that he was even offered to city rivals Birmingham City, but he fought his way back into the side and was named man of the match in the Europa League final in Istanbul last May, scoring against Freiburg as Villa won the club's first major trophy since 1996.
He has continued that form into the new season, scoring in the Champions League win over Club Brugge and again in Saturday's 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur, his third goal in as many matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across various competitions. The 29-year-old turns 30 on Christmas Day.
Emery praised Buendía's response to being frozen out when discussing his revival last November: "Everything that happened around him, he deserved it because he worked hard to recover his best form as a player.
"When we decided to keep him here, and he decided to stay here as well, I was confident he could get the numbers he is achieving."