It’s transfer deadline day, so here are the most recent Villa headlines for Tuesday, January 31.
large pockets
According to reports, Paris Saint-Germain is making rapid progress in their pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech.
According to a source close to the player, discussions with Chelsea are ‘progressing very quickly’ ahead of tomorrow’s transfer deadline.
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Roma have been linked with a move for the 29-year-old, who is expected to leave Chelsea before 11 p.m. on January 31.
Following the big-money signings of Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke this month, Chelsea is looking to trim their squad, particularly in attacking areas. Getting another player off their payroll would also help, and that player is most likely Ziyech.
Southampton has reportedly accepted a £3 million bid from Lyon for Aston Villa transfer target Moussa Dembele.
Football Scotland has reported that the former Celtic star is on the verge of a move to the Premier League, with Nathan Jones’ Saints having had a low-ball offer accepted by the French club.
Dembele, 26, is out of contract in the summer and is available before the 11 p.m. deadline tomorrow. This season, the French ace has struggled for match minutes after being knocked down from Lyon’s pecking order by club legend Alexandre Lacazette. Dembele was an unused substitute again over the weekend for the third fixture in a row.
Meanwhile, Villa is said to be interested in the ex-Fulham player, while reports in France suggest that Dembele is willing to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season rather than in January.
outgoing \sLudwig Augustinsson has left Aston Villa, with the Swedish international joining Real Mallorca on loan for the remainder of the season.
Augustinsson, 28, has made five loan appearances this season, with his only Premier League start coming in October against Leeds United under Steven Gerrard.
Unai Emery, the head coach, has since signed Alex Moreno from Real Betis for £12 million and informed Augustinsson that he is no longer needed.
“I am very happy, I really like La Liga,” Augustinsson, who could make his Mallorca debut against Real Madrid this weekend, said of his January loan switch. It is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world.
“Coming to RCD Mallorca is a good opportunity for me, coming to a great club and a great family. La Liga is highly technical and competitive. It’s a significant challenge for me.”
Busy day
The wheels are in motion at Bodymoor Heath as Unai Emery targets one or possibly even two new signings before the transfer deadline. So far this month, Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran have signed for a combined fee of £ 28 million to add to Villa’s options at left-back and in the attack.
Danny Ings (£15m, West Ham), Frederic Guilbert (free, Strasbourg), Morgan Sanson (loan, Strasbourg), Jan Bednarek (return, Southampton), and Cameron Archer (loan, Middlesbrough) have all been allowed to leave while Marvelous Nakamba will seal his exits in the coming hours.
Nakamba has interest from Premier League and Championship clubs in what would be a five-month loan deal.
A few more loans are in the pipeline as well involving Villa’s under-21s as Viljami Sinisalo, Seb Revan, Kaine Kesler, Hayden Lindley, Arjan Raikhy and Brad Young all remain hopeful of securing first-team football elsewhere.
To what supporters want to see now and that’s a third signing this month to add to Moreno and Duran. Marseille’s Matteo Guendouzi remains a player Emery wants alongside him at Villa but, unless a club-record offer is tabled, a deal appears unlikely at this stage. The transfer could be ignited in the summer with Villa content with their midfield options at present.
Kort Out Villa and Watford have reached an impasse over Kortney Hause’s future, who is currently on loan at Vicarage Road.
Watford does not intend to include Hause in their 25-man squad for the remainder of the Championship season, according to The Athletic. According to the report, Villa is aware of the situation, as Hause has been out since November with a serious knee injury.
Both Villa and Watford are said to be arguing over the best course of action for his recovery.
“There has been some disagreement about his treatment,” Watford manager Slaven Bilic explained to The Athletic. “He desires surgery. Nobody else supported surgery. That has been the case for three months.
“I’m heartbroken for him and for us. Don’t get me wrong: he’s devastated by this. He was supposed to be one of our main men, helping us return to the Premier League, and I haven’t seen him play at all.”
Loan swapping
Aston Villa has announced that Louie Barry has terminated his season-long loan agreement with MK Dons in order to join Salford City.
At Dons, the 19-year-old made 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring once and assisting three times. Liam Manning was fired by the League One struggler in December, and Mark Jackson took over a few weeks later.
Meanwhile, despite interest from as many as five League One clubs, Barry has decided to drop down a division to join promotion-chasing Salford.
“The club’s going in the right direction, they’ve got really good owners backing them, and when I spoke to the gaffer (Neil Wood), he put down the foundations, and that’s what I liked,” Barry said of his loan move.
“I met him a few days ago, and he told me everything I wanted to hear, along with facts. He showed me a really good presentation about the club’s history and what he wants to instill in the players, which is reflected on the field as well.
“I believe that coming here will help me improve as a player and, hopefully, help the team move up the divisions.”
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