Emery nearing agreement on new Aston Villa contract

Unai Emery is close to agreeing a new contract with Aston Villa after holding talks with the club's hierarchy on Wednesday, the club said.

The plan is to announce the new contract once all details have been agreed, which is unlikely to be before the weekend.

Emery has been Aston Villa manager since October 2022 and celebrated four years at the club last month. His side won the Europa League in May — Villa's first major trophy in 30 years. In his time at Villa he has transformed the side, from a group who were in a relegation fight to one who have qualified for European football every season under his management. He was already under contract until 2029 but is now close to signing a new longer-term deal.

On Wednesday night Villa released a statement confirming a meeting between Emery, club chairman Nassef Sawiris and executives Roberto Olabe and Damian Vidagany. The statement said: "The discussions focused on jointly planning the club's long-term strategic direction, with positive discussions establishing a clear commitment beyond 2029 for the joint development of the club under the sporting leadership of Unai Emery based on the shared ambitions and common goal to reach excellency and keep growing during the next years. "The objective is clear: to build an ambitious, competitive Aston Villa capable of taking on the biggest challenges and achievements."

All parties were reported to be keen on extending Emery's time at Villa Park. Talks covered the fine details, the finances and the length of the proposed deal. Emery would relish the opportunity to play an even bigger role in developing the club for the long term.

They finished fourth in the Premier League last season. A tumultuous summer saw the spine of that side sold. Villa are currently 10th in the Premier League and have won three of their four opening matches in the Champions League.

Villa threatened pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher with legal action last month after he suggested Emery would be a good choice if Manchester United were looking for a new manager. Carragher also telling fans of the club to "shut up". Villa dropped the threat after he apologised. Emery, a former Arsenal, Sevilla and Paris St-Germain boss, joined Villa in 2022 from Villarreal.

Villa play Manchester United this weekend at Old Trafford. Emery has been linked with a move to Manchester United, should they sack boss Michael Carrick.