Aston Villa don’t have limitless funds but they can afford to give Filip Helander a far bigger wage than the one he’s earning in Serie A
Filip Helander could be on his way to the Championship in the near future. What crest he will have stitched onto his chest, however, is anyone’s guess right now.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Aston Villa sent scouts to watch Helander in action for Serie A side Bologna earlier this month. A broken metatarsal suffered by John Terry has left Villa light at the back and, with Chris Samba ageing and Tommy Elphick out of favour, the 24-year-old would be a welcome addition.
But Championship rivals Leeds United were also heavily linked over the summer. The Swedish centre-back, who is good friends with Leeds’ Pontus Jansson, was on the Yorkshire giants radar with a £5.3 million bid reportedly enough to convince Genoa to cash in, according to Goal.
Though whichever second-tier side Helander joins, if he does make the move to England, he can expect to vastly increase the wages he is currently earning over in Italy.
According to figures published by Corriere di Bologna (29th November, page 14), Helander is earning around £4,000 a week with Roberto Donadoni’s side – a figure that looks like pocket change in an era where even the most average Championship player is on a seven-figure pay packet.
Aston Villa, then, will hope that a wage more in-tune with the modern game will be enough to lure Helander from Italy’s first division to England’s second.
The primary concern, however, is whether Steve Bruce’s promotion-chasing side could find a way around Financial Fair Play to stump up that £5.3 million asking price.
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