According to Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa are now closing in on the signing of Robin Olsen, with the Premier League side close to agreeing a €3.5m (£3m) deal.
What’s the story?
Well, the Sweden international spent the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Villa Park, and he clearly did enough to impress Steven Gerrard.
Romano believes the Villans are now “getting closer” to signing the 32-year-old on a permanent basis, with talks still ongoing between Aston Villa and Roma.
Aston Villa had a €3.5m (£3m) clause inserted into the loan deal, which they are expected to trigger soon once discussions with Roma have concluded.
You can see what the reliable Italian journalist wrote on Twitter in full below.
Olsen only made one appearance for Aston Villa after joining in January, which came on the final day of the Premier League season as the Villans lost 3-2 to Manchester City.
Despite that, the Swede – who almost joined West Ham in 2021 – clearly impressed Gerrard in training at Bodymoor Heath, as he is now close to joining on a permanent basis.
On the topic of Bodymoor Heath, Olsen was left stunned by the facilities at Aston Villa, and described the training ground as an “amazing” building after his January arrival.
Robin Olsen to Aston Villa is a great move
In our view, this is a brilliant signing by Steven Gerrard.
For just £3m, the Villans are getting a very experienced goalkeeper, who is capable of providing quality backup for Emiliano Martinez.
Olsen has racked up 56 caps for Sweden, while he has also made 18 Champions League appearances during spells at Malmo, Copenhagen and Roma.
It gives Gerrard reliable depth in a key area, and the fee involved is unlikely to put a huge dent in Aston Villa’s transfer budget this summer.
With all things considered, we can’t pinpoint a negative aspect of this move – it is shrewd business, to say the least.
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