Newcastle United were strongly linked with the Club Brugge striker, who now looks bound for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa could confirm the €25 million (£22.2 million) signing of the Newcastle United linked striker Wesley Moraes today (Thursday), according to HLN.
The Belgian website claims Aston Villa have agreed a record fee with Club Brugge for Moraes (on both sides), who scored or made 27 goals in 48 games last season.
And it adds that a five-year deal awaits the Brazilian at Villa Park.
It was reported by The Chronicle as recently as Wednesday that Newcastle had missed out on Moraes’s signing due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of their boss, Rafa Benitez.
The newspaper claimed the 22-year-old was ‘moving forward with another situation’, with Di Marzio suggesting that Lazio had submitted an £18 million offer for the player.
And the Aston Villa development comes somewhat out of left field.
Nevertheless, Moraes would not be the first player plucked from the Belgian top flight in recent years, after Christian Benteke (now of Crystal Palace) and Lovre Kalinic.
He would follow the winger, Jota Peleteiro, to Villa Park less than two weeks after the Midlands side secured promotion back to the Premier League.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have yet to add to their squad this window.
Will Newcastle be made to rue their apparent failure to land Moraes?
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