Aston Villa have reportedly shown interest in Verona defender Diego Coppola as a potential reinforcement for our backline this summer.
The 21-year-old is coming off the back of an impressive campaign with the Serie A outfit, making 35 appearances and establishing himself as a key figure in their defence.
READ MORE: Will trio of Villa loanees return or move on ahead of critical month?
Having been capped by Italy from U18s to U21s level, Coppola is now emerging as an option at senior level already, and so it appears as though he has a bright future ahead of him for both club and country.
According to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, although Brighton are said to be pushing to land his signature, he explicitly notes that Villa have also expressed interest in the Italian centre-half, and so it remains to be seen if that interest intensifies in the coming days to emerge as a genuine threat to Brighton’s hopes of signing him.
A potential swoop from Villa would certainly make sense given Coppola ticks a lot of important boxes, with his age, potential and lower wages all likely to make him an attractive proposition for Unai Emery and the club as we try to make the squad more competitive but remain compliant with PSR and UEFA’s financial rules.
Further, the expectation is that Axel Disasi’s loan spell will not be made a permanent switch this summer, thus opening up a space in the current squad with a need for competition and depth in the centre-half positions behind Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa. while the Verona defender has the ability to use both feet and operate in either the left-sided or right-sided centre-back role.
Add to the mix his physicality, reading of the game and timing of tackles, he has all the characteristics needed to be a dominant defensive presence in our backline, naturally with plenty of room for improvement still too given his age and inexperience at the top level.
Time will tell if Villa press ahead with our touted interest, as although the club may well be keen on signing Coppola this summer, our reported need to sell before June 30 to balance our books is the more pressing issue at this point, and so any incomings might possibly hinge on outgoings being confirmed first.
