Aston Villa are keen to sign Attila Szalai and Turkish giants Fenerbahce would struggle to turn down a £13 million bid from the Premier League outfit, as reported by Sporx.
After finally giving up on Emile Smith Rowe – Mikel Arteta slammed the door in Villa’s face when he said last week that ‘ESR’ would ‘100 per cent’ be staying at Arsenal – the Midland club appear to have reached a breakthrough in their pursuit of another highly-rated attacking talent.
According to talkSPORT, Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey would welcome the chance to make a name for himself in claret-and-blue.
Bailey, who scored 15 goals and provided a further 11 assists last season, has never hid his desire to play Premier League football and a winger renowned for his speed, skill and eye for the spectacular should slot into Dean Smith’s fleet-footed frontline with ease.
But, while Aston Villa appear to be closing in on one of the most exciting talents in the Bundesliga, it seems they are also making progress in their pursuit of a commanding central defender.
Are Aston Villa going to sign Leon Bailey and Attila Szalai?
Smith has his heart set on reinforcing a backline high on quality but low on quantity.
Bjorn Engels’ departure, plus Kortney Hause’s injury issues, have led Aston Villa to consider a man who caught the eye at Euro 2020 as Hungary made a mockery of their ‘whipping boys’ moniker, taking points of Germany and Portugal in the so-called ‘group of death’.
Sporx, however, believe that Fener would actually consider offers closer to £13 million, with Aston Villa expected to step up their interest in a 23-year-old powerhouse who has also been linked with Newcastle United, West Ham and Leicester City.
According to Al Jazeera in January, Fenerbahce are over £400 million in debt and relied on a fundraising campaign in order to finance a deal for Mesut Ozil six months ago.
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