Aston Villa are eyeing up the £30 million-rated Armel Bella-Kotchap as the Germany international looks to leave Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League.
Odd as it may seem, a number of players came out of the wreckage that was Southampton’s 2022/23 campaign with their reputations not only unscathed but enhanced.
Romeo Lavia, outstanding in the number six role, is likely to his pick of the Premier League giants. James Ward-Prowse will surely be handed the opportunity to overtake David Beckham as the division’s most prolific free-kick goalscorer next term too, while Carlos Alcaraz is also attracting interest.
Armel Bella-Kotchap, per talkSPORT, is another who should command his fair share of offers; Aston Villa keen on a 21-year-old who’s positional sense and maturity caught the eye even in Southampton’s porous backline.
Southampton, according to The Athletic, expect Bella-Kotchap to go. The Paris-born Germany international is ‘pushing’ for a move, in the knowledge that a season of second-tier football would be fatal to his hopes of featuring at the European Championships on home soil next year.
Aston Villa could offer Armel Bella-Kotchap a Southampton escape
Southampton want around £30 million. A massive increase on the £9 million fee they paid VFL Bochum nearly 12 months ago.
“Armel Bella Kotchap has developed very well,” Germany boss Hansi Flick said late last year, quoted by the Dresdner Morgenpost.
“He defends well at Southampton and in the Premier League. That says a lot.”
Aston Villa are looking to add both quality and quantity to their backline after securing a return to Europe under Unai Emery; beating Tottenham Hotspur to the UEFA Conference League spot.
The Midland giants have reportedly made an offer for Pau Torres – who played under Emery at Villarreal – with Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte another ambitious target.
Bella-Kotchap, however, is likely to be more attainable than both.
“He has hit the ground running,” Southampton legend Francis Benali tells Hampshire Live of Bella-Kotchap. “There’s an exciting crop of young players at the club.
“He’s been outstanding. He’s just shown a calmness, almost like confidence way beyond his years. The performances that he has put in have just been first class.”
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