Aston Villa appear to be the most likely destination for Weston McKennie as Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur only want the Juventus midfielder on loan, as reported by Calciomercato.
The problem with such an approach is this: Juve will only consider permanent bids for a man who swapped the banks of the Ruhr for the cobbled streets of Turin as recently as 12 months ago.
Spurs are only interested in negotiating a short-term loan deal as things stand (CM).
Aston Villa, in contrast, have already submitted what Calciomercato describe as a ‘cash-only’ offer – although it is not certain whether the Midland giants are willing to meet Juventus’s lofty demands for the £30 million-rated USA international.
Will Weston McKennie join Aston Villa rather than Tottenham?
Villa have made a dynamic defensive midfielder their top priority during the final few days of the transfer window.
Anyone who watched Dean Smith’s side get torn apart like soggy tissue paper during their 3-2 opening day defeat to Watford – without their first-choice number six in Douglas Luiz – will know exactly why.
McKennie would cost a damn sight more than the other targets on Villa’s wishlist, including Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Delaney.
Ligue 1 outfit Lens, meanwhile, want £18 million for Cheick Doucoure after Aston Villa made an opening bid of £10 million.
While far more expensive than both Delaney and the tough-tackling Doucoure, £30 million for McKennie would buy you three players rolled into one.
The versatile former Schalke starlet would make even Christian Bale look one-dimensional, capable of shining as a deep-lying defensive scrapper, a box-to-box number eight or a buccaneering right-back.
Tottenham cannot be ruled out at this stage, of course, given that it was Fabio Paratici who brought McKennie to Juventus in the first place.
CM believe that Spurs are willing to include the increasingly out-of-favour Tanguy Ndombele as part of the deal.
But watch out for Everton too.
It is understood that the Toffees are preparing a late bid of their own.
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