In recent comments made to the Spanish press, Unai Emery opened up on his hopes of signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Juan Foyth on a permanent basis this summer.

According to a report by Spanish publication AS, the Villarreal manager is extremely keen to ensure that the 23-year-old centre-back, who is currently on loan from Spurs at the La Liga side, remains in Spain on a permanent basis this summer.

When questioned on his intentions regarding the £36,000 per week defender, the 49-year-old former Arsenal boss said: "If I would keep him? The truth is that it is something that we must wait, but if it were up to me, yes, I would keep him with us."

Transfer Tavern Take

The news that Emery is interested in signing Foyth is hardly surprising, as, so far this season, the £9m-rated defender has impressed over his 29 appearances in La Liga and the Europa League, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.71 domestically and a 7.19 rating in European competition.

However, having signed a new deal with Tottenham shortly before joining Villarreal, which will keep the Argentina international in north London until 2023, it is questionable whether or not Jose Mourinho will be willing to part with the centre-back this summer.

Even if Mourinho can be convinced, Daniel Levy and the club will likely demand a considerable fee for the 23-year-old, meaning that any deal involving the defender would appear to be far from certain at present.

In other news: Tottenham have been sent a warning over Harry Kane - find out more here!