Championship giants Aston Villa have been watching Chievo Verona’s Samuel Bastien since 2015 and will now rival Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth.
Back in November 2015, Aston Villa were reported to be battling Premier League rivals Liverpool for the signature of a little known Belgian midfielder by the name of Samuel Bastien, as stated by the Birmingham Mail.
A lot has changed at Villa Park in that time. When Bastien was first linked, Remi Garde was sat in the dugout and Aston Villa were still a Premier League team.
Two-and-a-half years on, however, the club are now merely trying to stay in the Championship play-off places as Steve Bruce aims to drag the fallen giants back to the top flight.
One thing that has not changed, though, is Villa’s admiration for Bastien.
According to the Bristol Post, the club are hoping to finally sign the 21-year-old from Serie A side Chievo Verona this month. A Belgian Under-21 international, Bastien has started nine games in Italy’s top flight this season and has clearly done enough to catch the eye.
The report adds that there is also interest from the Premier League in the shape of Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town.
Bastien, a dynamic central midfielder renowned for his long-range shooting and dribbling skills, is a typical Huddersfield signing in many ways. He is cheap, promising and has honed his trade on the continent but seems to have a style that would fit in well in England.
Bournemouth too have signed a number of young players over the last couple of years and integrated them into Eddie Howe’s pass-and-move system. The former Anderlecht youngster, a technical and clever midfielder, ticks plenty of boxes.
But after tracking Bastien for over two years, Villa would be loath to lose out now.
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