Aston Villa appeared to be closing in on a deal for a defender who was eager to leave AC Milan and bring an underwhelming spell at the San Siro to an end.
However, the proposed move eventually collapsed after Ruben Amorim decided against allowing the player to leave. The Portuguese coach wanted to assess Pervis Estupinan more closely and see whether he could become an important part of his tactical plans.
Villa were therefore forced to explore other options, eventually completing the signing of Matteo Ruggeri, who has already made his first appearance under Unai Emery. But fresh reports have now revealed just how important Amorim was in preventing Estupinan from heading for the exit.
Amorim has repeatedly blocked Estupinan’s departure
Journalist Francesco Letizia has provided further insight into the situation, explaining that Aston Villa were not the only club to have a move for the Ecuadorian turned down. Benfica were also reportedly close to signing Estupinan during the final stages of the transfer window.
According to Letizia, however, Amorim once again stepped in to stop the transfer, having already rejected the possibility of a move to Villa earlier in the summer.
Speaking about the situation, she said: “Record reports that Benfica, AC Milan’s next opponent in the Europa League on matchday one next Wednesday at 8:45pm at San Siro, was very close to signing Pervis Estupinan from AC Milan in the final days of the transfer window, essentially last week.”
“But Ruben Amorim, just as he did with Aston Villa in the first part of the transfer window, shortly after the World Cup, said no, he put up a wall.”
Letizia believes the fact that Milan have now rejected two potential exits for Estupinan says plenty about how highly Amorim rates the 28-year-old. The coach clearly sees qualities in the former Brighton and Villarreal defender that fit the demands of his system.
“This shows us something important – Estupinan isn’t there by chance. AC Milan has rejected his transfer not once, but twice,” she added.
“So we also understand why Pervis Estupinan is being proposed as a starter at this time. Evidently, this isn’t the case for Ruben Amorim, because Pervis Estupinan’s promotion—I repeat, not once, but twice—officially certifies that the AC Milan coach likes the Ecuadorian national team full-back, formerly of Brighton and Villarreal.”
From a financial perspective, allowing Estupinan to leave may have been an understandable decision. Milan are believed to be shaping their project around established stars and promising young talent, with the Ecuadorian fitting neither category perfectly. But Amorim’s tactical concerns outweighed any potential benefits of a sale.
“A transfer that, in my opinion, from a market economy perspective, could have objectively made sense, especially given the kind of path Milan is planning to embark on, namely stars and youngsters. Pervis Estupinan is objectively not a star, much less a youngster, and so in my opinion it could have been accepted. But not for Amorim.”
Milan’s decision could still come back to haunt them
Despite Amorim’s obvious faith in him, Estupinan has yet to fully convince since the start of the season. The former Brighton man has started two matches, but he is still trying to find his rhythm and adapt completely to the demands of Milan’s system.
That creates an interesting dilemma for the Rossoneri. While Amorim has twice blocked his departure because he believes Estupinan can offer something valuable, the competition around him is increasing.
Davide Bartesaghi has continued to develop in the wing-back role, with his progress convincing Amorim to start him against Venezia two weeks ago. Alexis Saelemaekers also has previous experience of operating as a wing-back, giving Milan another possible solution in that area of the pitch.
For now, Amorim’s decision to keep Estupinan represents a major show of faith. He has effectively prevented the defender from joining Aston Villa and Benfica because he believes there is still more to unlock from his game.
But football can change quickly. If Estupinan fails to improve his performances and loses his place to Bartesaghi or another competitor, Milan may eventually look back at the rejected offers and wonder whether they missed the perfect opportunity to cash in.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have already moved on with Ruggeri. Yet the Estupinan saga remains a fascinating reminder of how close Villa came to signing the Ecuadorian before Amorim stepped in and dramatically changed the course of his future.