Tottenham Hotspur will miss out in the race for Villarreal playmaker Alex Baena, according to former club scout Bryan King.
Baena has been in immense form for Villarreal so far this season, registering five assists in 11 La Liga appearances, with only Barcelona duo Raphinha (6) and Lamine Yamal (7) contributing more.
In 127 appearances for the Yellow Submarine in all competitions, Baena has 20 goals and 35 assists.
The 23-year-old played twice for Spain at Euro 2024 and now has eight international caps for La Roja, scoring twice.
spurs are among the clubs who have been linked with the winger, who can also play as an attacking midfielder.
But they are not the only ones, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Newcastle United also understood to be interested by CaughtOffside sources.
Will Aston Villa beat Spurs in Alex Baena’s career?
Of course, Baena has already played for Villa manager Unai Emery 37 times during their time together at Villarreal, thriving with 10 goals and eight assists.
And according to King, who was a scout at Tottenham between 2002 and 2008 and previously worked at Aston Villa, that may prove to be the edge in the race for his signature.
“I think it would be easy for him to join Villa and come into a club with a manager he knows,” King said (via The Spurs website).
“Baena has worked with Emery. So I see no reason why Emery won’t push through this transfer and tell the club that Baena is a great prospect, a good player and the player he wants.
“And as a player who has worked with him, I think he would be eager to join Villa and continue his career in the West Midlands.”
Spurs and Villa sit 10th and ninth in the Premier League table respectively, separated by just two points, with each of them aiming for Champions League qualification.
