Unai Emery will feel there is still work to be done to get his Aston Villa squad primed for a Champions League season ahead of the transfer window closing late on Friday.
Seven players have arrived at Aston Villa this summer, with one of those having already left on loan in Lewis Dobbin and Samuel Iling-Junior now looking set to join him.
Amadou Onana is the marquee arrival and has settled into life at Villa Park well after his £50 million move, but he is so far the only new signing to start in either of Villa’s two games this season.
Unai Emery is keen to secure at least two more signings before the window slams shut, with an attacker and defender the two priorities.
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Aston Villa ‘interest’ in Trevor Chalobah as Lutsharel Geertruida alternative remains
The most likely defensive recruit looks to be Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida, with Villa leading the race for the centre-back who can also play right-back.
Matty Cash’s injury has only served to accelerate the need to get the Geertruida deal over the line as soon as possible, but it appears there is a contingency plan in place should a move for the Dutchman fall through.
That is according to Caught Offside, who report: “Although not a priority, the possibility of signing a new defender remains alive, and interest in Trevoh Chalobah also remains.”
Chelsea are said to value Chalobah at £25 million this summer – which is £5 million less than a deal for Geertruida is likely to cost – and his ability to also play centre-back or right-back mean he is a decent alternative should the Geertruida deal fall through.
Chalobah would be a solid addition to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa squad
Chalobah is yet to make the match-day squad for Chelsea this season, with new manager Enzo Maresca clearly not fancying the 25-year-old.
However, former Chelsea boss Graham Potter was full of praise for the defender in his time in charge of the club, saying in October 2022: “I’ve been very impressed from day one.
“He wasn’t in for the first couple of games, but acted perfectly: trained really well, very professional, very determined. He’s an impressive character, very focused on his football.
“He’s a bit of a soldier. He’s played in all the games, we’re having some problems in terms of availability for players, but he’s stood up, stood in and he’s performing at a really good level.”
With 80 Chelsea appearances to his name, Chalobah would be a decent addition to Emery’s ranks and a deal would make sense for all parties should there be any unexpected twists in the Geertruida deal.
