Aston Villa are reportedly keen on signing Barcelona duo Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres, but negotiations are still needed to reach an agreement.
Villa have already completed the signing of Youri Tielemans on a free transfer this summer, while the expectation is that Pau Torres will be announced this week too as we continue to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.
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Speculation has unsurprisingly been rife about potential incomings and outgoings beyond that, and according to El Nacional, Villa are in talks over a possible deal to sign Kessie, while our interest in Torres has also been touted again.
It’s reported that Emery specifically wants Kessie to bolster our midfield options, and while our initial offer is around €20m, Barcelona have no interest in selling for less than €30m. However, negotiations are said to be ‘open’, and so time will tell if a compromise on the fee can be reached.
There’s a similar problem with Torres in that the Catalan giants are said to want at least €35m to green light an exit for the Spanish forward, but Villa seemingly have no desire to pay that much.
It’s suggested that both players are coming to the conclusion that a move away from the Camp Nou this summer could be the best solution for them to have more prominent roles next season, and so time will tell if Villa can agree terms with Barcelona and on personal terms to complete what would be an important double swoop.
Emery was open about wanting to bring in a right-sided winger back in January, but with a move for a preferred target failing to materialise, Torres could be an interesting solution to fill that void.
As for Kessie, with rumours of interest in Leander Dendoncker and doubts over the respective futures of Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba after their loan stints elsewhere last season, should we start to offload individuals who perhaps don’t have a part to play in Emery’s long-term plans, we’ll need more quality and competition in midfield and so that would be a strong upgrade in that department.
Based on the report above though, it seems as though there is still some distance to make up between the two clubs to reach agreements, but it’s hoped that if they are indeed Emery’s priorities, we can bring them in and allow him to continue to mould the Villa squad into his own.
