Amorim admits blocking Estupinan's Aston Villa move to keep faith at AC Milan

Ruben Amorim has admitted he personally blocked Pervis Estupinan’s move to Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, taking full responsibility for keeping the Ecuadorian left-back at AC Milan despite concrete interest from Unai Emery’s side.

Aston Villa had been in serious pursuit of Estupinan as a replacement for Lucas Digne, who departed for PSG. Sport Witness reported in July that the 28-year-old had agreed on certain terms for a return to England, where he had spent five years at Brighton before joining Milan for nearly £17 million in the summer of 2025. Amorim, however, made clear the player was not for sale.

“At the end of the transfer window, we had a list of clubs that wanted Estupinan. But I said no. So, I want the fans to know that it was my responsibility,” the former Manchester United manager said, acknowledging that a section of the Milan fanbase has been unconvinced by the player.

The admission is notable given Estupinan’s limited involvement under Amorim. Under predecessor Massimiliano Allegri during the 2025/26 Serie A season, the left-back averaged under 60 minutes per appearance. Since Amorim took charge, that figure has dropped further to just 48 minutes across seven league matches — yet the Portuguese coach insists his belief in the player is firm.

“Even at other clubs, sometimes the fans don’t like certain players too much. We have to help Estupinan, we have to help the fans understand who Estupinan is: and I can assure you that Estupinan works really hard,” Amorim said.

“He’s playing because I chose Estupinan, because I believe in him and I’m convinced he’ll be truly important for our team. We simply have to help Estupinan, because we are a team: if one of our teammates suffers because of this, the whole team suffers with him and stands by him.”

Aston Villa ultimately moved for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to fill the left-back position, but the England full-back picked up an injury against Newcastle on Saturday, leaving Emery’s squad short in that area ahead of their Champions League fixture against Viking on Wednesday.