Aston Villa are reportedly set to remain active in the transfer market this summer, but much will depend on exits before further signings are made.
It’s been a busy window already with Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers among those to leave the club, while Unai Emery has welcomed Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho this month.
More changes are expected in the coming weeks as we continue to rebuild and strengthen the squad where possible, but it has been suggested that further arrivals are likely to be conditional on more exits materialising first to raise funds and make space in the squad.
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According to The Athletic, Villa are still looking to bolster our attacking options with a striker and winger, but it’s noted that both will only be possible if a departure happens first with Ollie Watkins, Tammy Abraham and Leon Bailey specifically named as those who might be on the move ahead of the new season.
In the case of Watkins, it comes down to his contract and having only two years remaining so there’s no immediate suggestion that he might leave, while it certainly sounds as though Abraham and Bailey are the more likely to go with Villa said to be open to offers for the former, while Bailey is in talks with Hull City as they try to make a breakthrough in negotiations between the two clubs and on personal terms.
Should those two move on, that will seemingly free Villa up to bring in more new recruits, and it will be fascinating to see who emerges as our priorities.
As per Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Villa remain in direct talks with Chelsea and Nicolas Jackson’s representatives to try and find an agreement to sign him, but his report is slightly wrong as he suggests that a loan is a possibility, but that can’t be the case with Villa already taking Garnacho on loan from the Blues and that is the limit between Premier League clubs.
In turn, if our interest in Jackson is serious and he is our top target, it would have to be a permanent swoop, but that then opens up the question as to how much of the profit we made selling Rogers to Chelsea would be lost in the transaction at a time when Villa need to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations.
It continues to sound like a very tricky scenario, one which Villa would arguably be wise to walk away from, but first we must shift players out, and then we’ll see who becomes the most realistic and sensible options to bolster our attack to replace any outgoings.
