Aston Villa Targets €35M Defender to Fill Gap

 

According to Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa is prepared to bid for Feyenoord star Lutsharel Geertruida.

The defender, who has long been regarded as one of the Eredivisie team's best players, hopes to leverage his success with a summer transfer. 

The transfer market analyst says that Birmingham is closely monitoring his circumstances.

Villa qualified for the Champions League this season after being fourth in the Premier League the previous year.

Romano says they are prepared to raid Feyenoord for Geertruida to bolster one of their squad's vulnerable areas.

He reports on X: "Lutsharel Geertruida has been added by Aston Villa to their shortlist, and RB Leipzig is still keeping an eye on him."

Villa is watching Geertruida as a possible new alternative, while RB Leipzig was previously interested in him last summer.

Amadou Onana (Everton), Ian Maatsen (Chelsea), and Jaden Philogene (Hull City) have already been recruited to Villa Park by Unai Emery's team, who has made significant roster investments. 

Over €176 million has been spent by Aston Villa on new players this summer.

Geertruida, on the other hand, is expected to cost at least €35 million, pushing the club's summer investment beyond the €200 million mark.

On the right side of defense, the Villans are lacking in choices. For Emery, 27-year-old Matty Cash is really his only choice. Although Kosta Nedeljkovic, an eighteen-year-old Serbian, enjoys playing right-back, it remains to be seen if the Serbian is prepared for the Premier League. 

When Cash was out of the lineup the previous season, Emery frequently used center defender Ezri Konsa as a right-wing-back.

Romano writes that RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga presents Villa with its primary rival over Geertruida.

 They also attempted a move for the Feyenoord player last summer. Still, Castello Lukeba, who left Lyon for €30 million, was chosen instead after the clubs could not agree on a transfer fee.

It appears unlikely that Geertruida will travel to Leipzig. Feyenoord demanded €30m in fixed plus €5m in bonuses last summer. Die Roten Bullen offered only €29m plus an additional €4m.

"The fact that Leipzig failed to complete a move hurts the player, and that is why Geertruida no longer thinks about meeting with the Germans again if the transfer of another defender fails," De Telegraaf stated at that time.

Thus, Villa is in a good position to sign the Dutch talent.