Aston Villa are reportedly willing to pay £51 million for Federico Chiesa but Juventus’ Serie A star is ‘not interested in joining’ Unai Emery’s Premier League outfit.
That is according to Gianluca di Marzio. As Italian football goes, he is about as reliable as they come. A source very much in the ‘tier one’ category.
So Di Marzio is worth listening too as Federico Chiesa faces an uncertain future at Juventus. The Bianconeri may be forced to sell at least one of their star players this summer due to serious Financial Fair Play concerns and a dramatic points deduction which saw Juve miss out on Champions League football last term.
Federico Chiesa remains arguably their most ‘sellable’ asset. Italy’s most exciting player during their Euro 2020 triumph, and a player who bounced back from a long-term injury absence during an impressive final few months of 2022/23.
Aston Villa and Newcastle eye Federico Chiesa
“When he arrived at Juve, I didn’t think he was so good. I am honest. (But) in the European Championship, he was unbelievable. In the final match with England, it was impossible to stop him,” former team-mate Gianluigi Buffon says of the one-time Fiorentina whizzkid.
“It wasn’t obvious that he’d play at such a high level at a tournament like the European Championship. If you do those things at such a high level, then it means that you are really special.”
Aston Villa appear to share Buffon’s perspective.
Di Marzio reports that an ambitious, deep-pocketed Villa side are reportedly willing to pay a club-record £51 million for Chiesa. But while the recent appointments of Unai Emery and Monchi will do wonders for Aston Villa’s pulling power, it seems Chiesa is about to follow in the footsteps of Manuel Ugarte and Marco Asensio.
He is ‘not interested in joining’ the Midland giants.
Whether Chiesa is similarly dismissive about Newcastle United remains to be seen.
Di Marzio adds that Newcastle are setting their sights on Chiesa after closing in on a £60 million deal for fellow Italian Sandro Tonali. The Magpies have the advantage of being able to offer Champions League football on the back of their fourth-place finish.
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