Aston Villa Plan Bid For 21-Year-Old Boca Midfielder: Should They Spend Big?

Aston Villa Plan Bid For 21-Year-Old Boca Midfielder: Should They Spend Big? Aston Villa left Old Trafford on Sunday with a 4-4 draw that felt like a defeat. Unai Emery’s side led 2-0 inside four minutes and 4-2 shortly after the break, then conceded twice in stoppage time, with Patrick Dorgu levelling in the 96th minute. The collapse came five days after a 3-0 loss at Barcelona , Villa’s first defeat of this Champions League campaign. The damage traces back to the summer. Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United in a reported £36m deal and scored against his old club, while Amadou Onana ruptured a cruciate ligament that was expected to keep him out for six to nine months. Villa answered by signing Johan Manzambi for a reported club-record £59.5m and João Gomes for £34m plus add-ons, yet the midfield still looks unsettled without its old creative and defensive anchors. Emery said afterwards that his players could not stop the late run down their left flank, and a side built on controlling the middle of the pitch lost that control once United pressed. Villa now sit in the top half of the Premier League, yet two games in five days have shown how thin that area feels. The search for stability has reached Argentina. According to Sport Witness , citing Argentine outlet Soy del Millo, Villa will present a formal bid for Boca Juniors midfielder Milton Delgado within days. Villa have scouted the 21-year-old for six months, and the report calls him a central defender and midfielder suited to English football. Boca president Juan Román Riquelme wants to keep him after their title win, but a big offer could settle a January deal. Delgado has 86 senior appearances, 45 this season, and Brighton previously showed interest. What Delgado brings BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – NOVEMBER 01: Nicolás Otamendi of River Plate battles for possession with Milton Delgado of Boca Juniors during the Torneo Clausura 2026 Superclásico match between Boca Juniors and River Plate at Estadio Alberto J. Armando on November 01, 2026 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images) Delgado won the bronze ball at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup and made 52 tackles in 1,690 league minutes in 2025. Yet he stands 5ft 5in with no senior goals, two assists and seven bookings in 28 league games this year. His release clause reportedly sits at $20m to $25m, roughly £15m to £19m. Should Aston Villa spend big on a 5ft 5in midfielder? No. Delgado suits a double pivot as a ball-winner, yet Villa have committed over £93m to Manzambi and Gomes, while Kamara and a returning Onana fill the same roles. Villa need a creator like Tielemans, and Delgado isn’t one. Pay £15m for depth, no more. Dorgu’s 96th-minute header came from a corner, and a 5 ft 5 in screener won’t fix a side that struggles to defend one.