Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are trying to beat Arsenal to the signing of Vitoria Guimaraes talent Ibrahima Bamba with a €12million deal now in the pipeline.
That’s according to Portuguese newspaper Record, who claim that Villa are making their move for Bamba.
It’s stated that negotiations over a summer move have ‘already been opened’ with Villa wasting no time.
Villa’s holding company V Sports have purchased a major stake in Vitoria and are attempting to grow a multi-club setup.
We wondered whether Villa could use this link to win the race for Bamba and it looks like a deal is being worked on already.
It’s claimed that Bamba hasn’t been involved in the discussions yet but is upset that he didn’t earn a January transfer.
This comes after The Times claimed that Villa want Bamba and would be willing to loan him back to Vitoria.
Villa could now make sure that Bamba gets his summer move – and possibly leave Arsenal feeling like they have missed out.
Aston Villa target Ibrahima Bamba is on Arsenal’s wish list
The Mirror were the first to report Arsenal’s interest in signing Bamba back in November.
They were suggesting that the youngster was on Edu’s radar and the rumours continued up until the January deadline.
Reports from Portugal in January suggested that Arsenal were leading the race for Bamba – but no deal materialised.
Arsenal may have prioritised a Premier League veteran in Jorginho, feeling that prospect like Bamba could wait until summer.
Things can change quickly though and Villa’s link to Vitoria gives them a golden chance to secure a deal.
Bamba, 20, started out with Pro Vercelli in his native Italy before heading to Vitoria in 2020.
After starting out in their B team, Bamba is now a regular in Portugal’s top flight and has been earning rave reviews this season.
Capable of playing as a centre back or holding midfielder, Bamba looks to have major promise – and Villa could strike to keep him out of Arsenal’s clutches.
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