Aston Villa have reportedly set an asking price in excess of £5m for Lewis Dobbin as we look to secure a permanent exit for the forward this summer.
The 23-year-old arrived from Everton in 2024, but he has yet to make a single appearance for Villa having spent time on loan at West Brom, Norwich and Preston over the past two seasons.
His latest loan stint was the most productive thus far, as he bagged 11 goals and provided eight assists in 41 appearances for Preston, and so it appears as though Villa are now keen to cash in on him while his value is high.
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However, that is said to be causing an issue, as The Star report that while Sheffield United are interested in Dobbin and Villa are looking to sell, our asking price is currently above £5m and that is said to be too much for the Blades to manage.
It’s added that both Wolves and Southampton are said to be interested too, and so it now remains to be seen if any interested party is willing to meet our demands, or perhaps we will have to bide our time and lower our valuation the further we go into the transfer window.
With Villa under financial strain again this summer as we look to balance our books, reduce the wage bill and ultimately make space for new signings, selling our young talent is seemingly becoming the priority after Sil Swinkels and Louie Barry both sealed permanent switches to Sheffield Wednesday this week.
Dobbin may well follow that same path now, and although there is a tinge of disappointment given we’d like to see some of our signings and Academy players go on and make an impact at senior level for us, if it means boosting our financial position without selling any key individuals and perhaps giving ourselves some flexibility to bring in reinforcements, then it seems like the most sensible strategy we can adopt this summer.
That said, it seems we’ll need Sheffield United or another club to raise their potential offers if we are to receive the fee that we’re looking for with regards to Dobbins.
Villa are subsidising a whole string of players struggling to make premier league
Whilst it is good to hold some potential these players are nowhere near good enough for the wages villa are paying
Someone sensible seems to have taken over the finances