Aston Villa transfer news: as frustration grows after £23m loan-to-buy bid for sign a star player.
Aston Villa have submitted a loan-to-buy bid worth £23m to sign Galatasaray forward Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Fabrizio Romano.
According to the Italian transfer guru, taking to his personal Twitter account (11 August), a £2.6m loan fee has been submitted with Zaniolo’s salary expected to be covered in full but “frustration” is growing within the Villa camp to as they await Galatasaray’s reply.
The Villans are looking to land a deal for the Italy international following the injury suffered by Emi Buendia, with the club confirming on 10 August that the Argentinian maestro could be out for up to eight months following a knee ligament injury.
Romano tweeted: “EXCL: Aston Villa submitted official bid for Nicoló Zaniolo.
“€3m loan fee. Salary covered. €20m buy option clause.”
“€7m add-ons up to potential €27m package in case Villa will buy Zaniolo…still waiting for Gala’s final answer.
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“Frustration growing.”
Another sign of intent
It’s incredibly damaging for Villa to lose such a vital player in Buendia with the new campaign kicking off this weekend, and it seems as if Emery has already stumbled across a quality replacement in Zaniolo.
The Italy international has endured a difficult past couple of seasons after emerging as one of Europe’s most highly-coveted attacking talents a few years ago.
During his time with the Italian club, the 6’3″ midfielder was named the Serie A Young Player of the Year for the 2018-19 campaign and earned his first call-up to the national team in 2018.
But injuries then hampered his development and resulted in him leaving for the Super Lig side in February of this year, so it’s actually a smart move to bring him in on loan with an option to buy, should he succeed at Villa Park.
The 24-year-old only joined the Turkish giants from Roma in January but actually enjoyed an impressive half-season in Turkey, scoring five goals in 10 Turkish Super Lig games.
Villa are desperate for more attacking talent this summer and Buendia’s injury has certainly heightened that need but with frustration seemingly growing regarding this deal, there aren’t any guarantees Emery will be granted his wish to bolster his attack even further.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have a crucial decision to make on one bright academy teenager who looks ready for first-team exposure this season.
