A fresh update has emerged on one of Aston Villa’s transfer targets that could give them the green light to strike in the closing stages of the window.
Aston Villa can be pleased with how this summer has gone after signing seven new players but Unai Emery could still make further additions to his squad.
The Villans are assessing their options in defence, with Lutsharel Geertruida, Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah on their radar.
Emery ideally wants to acquire another centre-back, as currently, their only fit first-team options are Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Diego Carlos, with 20-year-old Lamare Bogarde available if needed.
They are also looking to bolster their attack. Initially, Villa’s top target was Joao Felix but he’s now joining Chelsea while it has recently emerged that Aston Villa are ‘monitoring’ a move for Raheem Sterling.
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Raheem Sterling exiled from first-team training at Chelsea as Aston Villa could strike
Sterling has endured a tough spell at Stamford Bridge. The 29-year-old has been littered with inconsistency and new manager Enzo Maresca doesn’t see the four-time Premier League winner as part of his plans.
That stance has since been made clearer, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Sterling and fellow Englishman Ben Chilwell are both training separately from the first team.
Romano later dropped quotes from Maresca, who said that the Chelsea winger ‘will get no minutes here’ and prefers ‘different kinds of wingers’.
This could have now opened the door for several interested clubs to strike – including Villa – who are looking for another forward to add strong competition to their current crop.
Sterling, aged 29, is different to the profile of signing Monchi and Emery typically go for however, perhaps the Birmingham outfit should strike while the iron is hot to land the Englishman.
Raheem Sterling’s Champions League experience would be invaluable
Villa are preparing for the Champions League but most of their squad have never played at this level, with the likes of Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and Morgan Rogers all untested.
That is where the experience of Sterling could come into play, the jet-heeled winger playing 82 times in Europe’s elite competition while supplying an impressive 44 goal contributions.
The know-how and the quality of the winger could hand Emery the finishing piece to his attacking puzzle, with Sterling also a four-time Premier League winner.
That said, the major sticking point in a deal is the price tag and his extremely high wages. It remains to be seen what Chelsea demand for their wantaway winger however, it could be in the region of £30 million, while his £325k-a-week wages are putting people off.
It was revealed that he would be willing to take a pay cut and join a project he believed in but as Villa’s highest earner is Boubacar Kamara on £150k-a-week, a significant pay cut would be needed to prise him to Villa Park.
