Aston Villa are reportedly set to sign Birkir Bjarnason from Basel.
According to Swiss newspaper Blick, Basel midfielder Birkir Bjarnason has snubbed a move to Trabzonspor in order to chase a dream move to England – and he will now undergo a medical with Aston Villa.
Villa fans have been focused on new signing Henri Lansbury and targets James Bree and Conor Hourihane, but Bjarnason looks to be Steve Bruce’s latest signing in a shock move.
Iceland’s Birkir Bjarnason celebrates after scoring against Portugal
Bjarnason, 28, has featured in Norway with Viking and Bodo/Glimt, Belgium with Standard Liege, and Italy with Pescara and Sampdoria, before returning to Pescara and earning a move to Basel in 2015.
Capable of playing in the centre of midfield or even on the left hand side, Bjarnason was a key part of the Iceland side that impressed so many at Euro 2016, and he scored against both Portugal and France during the tournament.
England’s Kyle Walker in action with Iceland’s Birkir Bjarnason
Now, Bjarnason – who played in five of Basel’s six Champions League games this season and has been a regular in the league with four goals in 13 appearances – is on the verge of a move to Aston Villa, as he has been given permission to undergo a medical today.
Swiss newspaper Blick report that Bjarnason is set to fulfil a dream of playing in England, and he even turned down a move to Turkey with Trabzonspor this month in order to keep his dream alive – even if it was to play in the Premier League.
With a huge stadium and fanbase, major ambition, and one of the top budgets in the Championship, Villa can offer Premier League infrastructure, and will hope that Bjarnason can provide them with Premier League football in the near future.
It’s quite impressive that Villa can lure Bjarnason to the club, given that he has been playing Champions League football this season, and whilst Trabzonspor weren’t good enough for the Icelandic maestro, Villa seemingly are.
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