Aston Villa are reportedly close to a deal to sign Crvena zvzeda right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic in a key move from the club to bolster our squad.
As noted by Fabrizio Romano, talks are continuing between the two clubs with a deal said to be close, while the fee is believed to be around €9m in total, while the 18-year-old is expected to remain with the Serbian giants until the end of this season.
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It’s an intriguing potential signing from Villa for many reasons, most notably it’s the first real swoop under our new infrastructure with President of Football Operations, Monchi, at the helm, for a young talent that our scouting department have seemingly identified as a potentially significant acquisition.
While Villa moved for more established players last summer to bolster Unai Emery’s squad as Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo, Youri Tielemans and Clement Lenglet arrived, all still in a younger age bracket with a long-term vision in mind, this is an expensive move for a player who is still early in his development.
It’s the type of move we’ve seen some of our Premier League rivals make and be lauded for as ultimately their signings have not only gone on to impress, but also gain significant sell-on value, and so this will be a fascinating decision from Villa, with talk of FFP also becoming more prominent over the past week.
Nedeljkovic a top prospect, potential key solution for Villa
The teenager has come through the youth ranks at Red Star Belgrade, and has gone on to make 18 appearances for the senior side, including four outings in the Champions League, as he has been exposed to a high level very early in his young career.
Capped four times by Serbia U19s, he’s an athletic, technically sound and physical right-back who likes to get forward, and there is an expectation that he is very much on a path to breaking into the senior international squad sooner rather than later.
As per SerbFootyScout on X in the video below, Nedeljkovic has displayed good pace, energy, promising movement and timing of his runs to date, while showcasing his technical ability on the ball through his passing and delivery into the box.
He likes to get forward but can still improve in advanced areas, but the ability to make overlapping runs and provide an attacking dynamic down the right flank is a key component of his game.
From a defensive perspective, albeit he’s still in need of development which is to be expected for an 18-year-old, he has a solid foundation on which to build and improve but he has earned praise for his concentration and physicality in carrying out his defensive duties.
When considering those points in relation to what Villa need at right-back, the talented youngster ticks a lot of the right boxes. Emery would surely like another solid option in that position to compete and cover for Matty Cash, but the progression with the ball and providing balance to the Villa XI with the ability to add width down the right and an attacking dynamic seems to be something he’s capable of producing.
That’s imperative to how we play, and while at 18 years of age he still has a long road of development ahead of him, Villa have evidently seen plenty they like in him and believe that he could be an important addition to Emery’s squad in the coming years.
As with any signing of a young player, there’s a lot of promise, potential and excitement, but it’s vital that Villa make a sensible decision and get it right as we continue a difficult balancing act of improving the squad and becoming increasingly competitive with being clinical in the transfer window and spending money wisely to ensure we remain on the right side of FFP moving forward.
There’s no official word on Nedeljkovic from either club as of yet, but the speculation would suggest that Villa are on the cusp of a significant January signing, who will be ready to arrive in the summer and integrate into Emery’s long-term vision.
One of the reasons why the 🇷🇸 NT struggles is the lack of suited wing-backs. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Kosta Nedeljković (17). A short thread on why he's the prototype for that role. Focusing on movement.
Watch him, nothing else.pic.twitter.com/V00nRcEs8b
— Serbian Football Scout (@SerbFootyScout) October 7, 2023