Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida as Unai Emery eyes another defensive reinforcement.
The 24-year-old came through the youth ranks with the Dutch giants, and has since gone on to make 199 appearances at senior level, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists to go with his defensive duties.
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Further, he has earned 11 caps for the Netherlands thus far, and at 24, he looks to have a promising future ahead of him for club and country still.
According to Fabrizio Romano, he has attracted the interest of Villa who have added him to our transfer shortlist, although should we step up our pursuit, we’re likely to face competition from RB Leipzig.
Time will tell if an official proposal is presented or not, but it would be a sensible addition to the Villa squad for Emery, which may also signal a reshuffle in our defensive options.
Although Geertruida is a natural right-back, he can also play as a centre-half or a defensive midfielder, and so that versatility will undoubtedly be very useful for us as we look to cover various positions and compete across multiple fronts this season.
Amid speculation over Diego Carlos and his future at Villa having been left out for a second consecutive pre-season friendly this week, it could also indicate a reshuffle in that department to give us a better suited option at the back for Emery to utilise.
With Matty Cash and Kosta Nedeljkovic available to the Villa boss to play at right-back, Geertruida could arguably be seen more as a replacement for Carlos if he leaves, giving us a younger option who is likely to be on lesser wages with a long-term future still ahead of him.
Nevertheless, with his ability to play in his natural role as a right-back, that would also surely ensure that Ezri Konsa continues to play in his preferred role as our right-sided centre-half, rather than having to shift across if necessary.
Time will tell if Villa advance in talks and ultimately agree a deal to sign the Dutch international, but it looks to be a sensible strategy from the club to address a potentially crucial need ahead of the new campaign.
