Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Marcus Bettinelli.
According to the Daily Mail, Aston Villa are eyeing a move for Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli – but would face competition from Bournemouth.
Bettinelli, 27, has come up through the Fulham ranks, and he played a starring role in the 2017-18 campaign as the Cottagers won promotion to the Premier League.
He was handed a shock England call-up in September 2018, but endured a frustrating season as Fulham brought in Spaniards Fabricio and Sergio Rico.
That situation, coupled with a major knee injury in February, restricted Bettinelli to just seven Premier League appearances, but with Rico gone and Fabricio out of favour, he’s expected to beat out Marek Rodak for first-team football this season.
However, Villa are now thought to be interested in Bettinelli having hit a brick wall in their attempts to sign Jack Butland, and the same goes for Bournemouth.
After suffering relegation, an immediate return to the Premier League may be appealing to Bettinelli, especially as he’d be first-choice stopper for either side.
Fulham should stand firm with Bettinelli, especially as he only signed a new contract until 2021 back in October, meaning Villa or Bournemouth should still expect a battle.
In order to get back towards the England setup, Bettinelli may well need a Premier League move, with the likes of Jordan Pickford, Angus Gunn, Tom Heaton and Butland himself in the mix, and Villa will hope to use that to their advantage with a move this summer.
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