Aston Villa have missed and hit their transfer target for forward position today, just a matter of hours ahead of deadline day.
Aston Villa have been incredibly busy in the past few days and might not stop until September 1, when the transfer window closes. Villa have been searching for a pacey winger, with Rafael Leao emerging as their top target.
In the past few days, everything seemed quite clear that the Portuguese international winger was edging closer to Villa Park than Galatasaray. Nevertheless, that tendency changed almost immediately and swiftly.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Villa switched back to their old target following an update from Leao’s camp. He is PSG youngster Ibrahim Mbaye.
“(Aston) Villa moved swiftly to finalise with the European champions with AC Milan’s Rafael Leao closing on an agreement with Galatasaray.”
Aston Villa were initially going all out for Leao. Their interest in Mbaye in May was put on hold as they did not seem able to match their contender in the race, Liverpool, which has greater financial power. Villa seemed to lose the race as Bayer Leverkusen already submitted their bid. Furthermore, The Reds were even already in negotiations before deciding to pull the plug on the Senegalese winger and turn their attention to Bradley Barcola instead.
The Lions soon turned their focus back to Mbaye once they found out that the former Lille man appeared to be leaning towards Turkey instead. They approached the 18-year-old winger again and reached an agreement to sign him for a transfer fee worth £47 million. The positive relationship between PSG and Villa’s owner has been touted as the reason which contributes to ease the negotiation process.
Villa opted to secure his move as he is seen as a long-term solution as well. His versatility and opportunity to become a first-choice player in the team fit Emery’s needs for the rebuild as well as Mbaye’s own ambitions.
Meanwhile, Leao’s decision to snub Aston Villa is rather surprising as he initially preferred a move to the Premier League over competing in Turkey. Villa’s representatives met him, and Unai Emery himself made a call to the 27-year-old winger, who could play more regularly, improve his form and have the chance to make appearances in the Champions League.
Yet, that was still not enough to convince him to come to Bodymoor Heath.
His decision might also have been related to AC Milan’s preference. The Rossoneri would like to move Leao on soon via a permanent sale. Galatasaray are willing to do so with an offer of £38.6 million plus £1.71 million in add-ons. Meanwhile, Villa could only come up with a loan offer with an obligation to buy.
Another key reason is the salary. The Clarets and Blue could not improve their wage offer. £6 million per season is the highest they could provide, whereas Galatasaray can offer him £8.5 million per season.
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