Bundesliga star Milot Rashica is closing in on a big-money move from Werder Bremen to Premier League outfit Aston Villa, according to reports both in England and Germany.
With a lack of quality in the final third very nearly costing Villa their place in the top flight last season, co-owners Wes Edens and Nasef Sawiris have plunged their hands into their pockets to ensure that Dean Smith has more than enough attacking quality at his disposal this time around.
In Ollie Watkins, Villa have smashed their transfer record on a number nine who scored 26 times in 2019/20 – albeit at Championship level.
Bertrand Traore is expected to arrive from Champions League semi-finalists Lyon in a £17 million deal while, if an agreement can be reached, Kosovo speed-machine Rashica will complete a new-look front three at Villa Park.
And that is without mentioning Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper arriving from Arsenal.
An explosive winger whose 11 goals and nine assists saved Werder Bremen from relegation in June, Rashica has been at the heart of a relentless summer saga. But it seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel at last.
The Express and Star reports that talks between Bremen and Aston Villa are ongoing, with the latter increasingly confident that the former Vitesse Arnhem pocket rocket will sign on the dotted line before October’s transfer deadline.
Kicker, meanwhile, claims that Aston Villa are just £2 million away from striking a deal, needing to raise their initial £16 million to £18 million.
Rashica missed Werder’s DFB Pokal clash over the weekend, largely due to injury, but used his time on the sidelines to continue negotiations with the Premier League outfit.
Watkins, Traore and Rashica certainly look superior to El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Samatta.
“Milot obviously is an interesting player for many clubs,” Bremen’s sporting director Frank Baumann told BuliNews on Friday.
“He has attracted interest from a few interested parties, who deal with him very concretely. And the more money there is in circulation, the better the price for us.
“We have our ideas. It’s likely that Milot Rashica will leave us during the transfer window.”
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