Aston Villa are reportedly ready to rival the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham for Denzel Dumfries, with the Inter Milan defender set to sign for a Premier League club this month.
According to InterLive, Unai Emery is ready to enter the race to sign the Netherlands international, though the Nerazzurri’s asking price of €60m (£53m) could be a sticking point for Villa, especially with clubs such as Graham Potter’s Chelsea and Tottenham also interested in signing Dumfries.
Lauded by Ally McCoist as ‘amazing’, Dumfries is regarded by many as one of the most explosive fullbacks in all of Europe and a fullback who acts more of a winger than a defender. However, for a club like Villa under a manager like Emery, this could be a perfect marriage for the 26-year-old.
Villa’s main issue, as mentioned, will be interest from other Premier League clubs. As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham are very keen on signing Dumfries this month, whilst Sportitalia have recently claimed that Chelsea could soon launch a bid to sign the defender.
Indeed, whilst Villa’s owners are ready to spend when needed, it is unlikely that Emery will be given the funds to sign a player of Dumfries price tag, especially given that the Villians already have Matty Cash as a starting right-back in the squad.
Signings are needed at Villa this month, and whilst Dumfries would be quite the addition for supporters, Emery knows that a certain amount of realism is needed this January when it comes to arrivals in the market, with the Inter star simply not what the Premier League side need.
Villa signing Dumfries would be a waste of resources
Work is needed in Villa’s squad this month. And as good a player Dumfries is and how well the defender could work in Emery’s system, there are bigger problems in the team that need addressing rather than a right-back.
After all, adding to the central defence as well as the attack will be what fans want to see this month, and for all the good Dumfries could bring to Villa, the signing would simply unbalance the team in a way that no supporter wants to see.
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