Aston Villa are keeping tabs on a Serie A sensation after having a January bid knocked back, according to reports coming out of Italy, as Unai Emery looks to strengthen his squad further after an electric campaign so far.
Impressive Emery eyeing European success
It appeared a major coup when Aston Villa announced the capture of veteran trophy winner Unai Emery last season, and so it has proved. The former Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain and Villareal boss has overseen a massive upturn in the fortunes of the Villa Park outfit since his arrival, with the club currently sitting fourth in the Premier League and just five points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Though they have won just one of their last five games and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea, the Villans remain in a fantastic position to make the campaign a memorable one, and end it with a European trophy in the form of the Europa Conference League.
|
Games |
48 |
|
Wins |
29 |
|
Losses |
11 |
|
Goals Scored |
87 |
|
Points per game |
1.98 |
To improve their chances of doing just that, the Midlands outfit were one of just nine Premier League clubs to make a permanent transfer in the January window, with the impressive Middlesbrough youngster Morgan Rodgers joining the club in a deal worth around £8m, rising to £15m. They also snapped up Arsenal youngster Lino Sousa, though the Brazilian fullback is not expected to feature heavily in the first team this season amid the impressive performances from Alex Moreno and the continued support of Lucas Digne.
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Villa approach for Serie A star rejected
Now, reports coming out of Italy suggest that Emery would have spent further had he got his way, with the Spanish coach keen on signing Torino’s Raoul Bellanova in January. NSWE’s approach was knocked back thanks to the €20m (£17m) asking price.
That has not ended the interest in the Italian though, with Tutto Mercato reporting that the Villans remain keen on a potential summer move for one of the Italian top flight’s breakout stars. However, they will face plenty of competition for the 23-year-old, with several clubs thought to be keen on bolstering their ranks with the full-back.
Used as a wing-back for Torino, it is easy to see where he would fit into Unai Emery’s system. After an excellent start to the season, Matty Cash appears to have fallen down the Spaniard’s pecking order, which has forced him to use Ezri Konsa at full-back with John McGinn ahead of him.
Bellanova could operate in either of those positions, and would give Villa another option on the right hand side of the pitch. With three assists to his name this season, he is clearly capable of providing a killer ball when required.
Though the 23-year-old only made the switch to Turin in the summer, the Italians could already cash in on him should an offer come in, with a deal at the reported asking price turning quite a profit from the €7m (£6m) they spent last year.
