Aston Villa’s priority is signing Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertuida but Unai Emery may need to offload a few of his players before a transfer can be sealed.
In Saturday evening’s clash against Arsenal, Aston Villa saw right-back Matty Cash go off in the 15th minute, with scans later revealing that he’d be out for up to four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Emery replaced the Poland international with 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic, but as he’s the Spaniard’s only current right-back option, Villa have just two days to add another.
Lutsharel Geertruida is the player they want to fill the void in defence as he can play as a right-back or centre-back however, a deal to land the Dutchman won’t be easy, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Geertruida is a ‘crucial’ player for Feyenoord and they’ve valued one of their most prized assets at £30m, with the transfer fee proving a tricky hurdle to navigate.
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The three players Aston Villa could offload to sign Lutsharel Geertruida
According to The Telegraph, Villa must ‘make room in their squad’ and ‘raise funds’ from selling players to sign the 24-year-old.
Despite letting Samuel Iling-Junior join Bologna on loan, with Enzo Barrenechea close to sealing a move to Valencia, the Villans are still in a position where they need to offload fringe players before they can sign Geertruida.
The report claims that centre-back Diego Carlos is someone they’re keen to shift on in the final two days after previous interest from Fulham while midfielder Leander Dendoncker is also set to depart on loan or permanently, depending on the offers received.
Following the sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby to Juventus and Al-Ittihad respectively, the Villans have flexed their financial muscles, spending close to £150 million on seven new players.
With the club cautious of avoiding PSR and the size of their squad, it is therefore important that Barrenechea and Dendoncker are removed from their roster, although they should keep Carlos if possible.
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Aston Villa should keep Diego Carlos despite current stance
Supporters will face an agonising wait to see if Geertruida becomes a Villa player before the transfer window shuts on Friday night.
Their hopes this season could hinge on the Dutchman being captured, as he’s accomplished in two defensive positions, which is a huge bonus to Emery.
In their attempts to sign the defender, Carlos is of course on the chopping block but the Villans should rethink their stance on selling the Brazilian.
Depth is currently an issue at the back and offloading the 31-year-old would leave just three senior centre-backs at the club, as Geertruida would join Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa as competition.
For a team looking to compete across all fronts and tackle the demanding schedule of midweek Champions League fixtures, selling the former Sevilla defender would leave them short.
Carlos was an important figure last term and Gary Neville described him as a ‘man-mountain in the win against Arsenal, with the experienced defender putting his body on the line.
Emery previously said that he’d be happy to keep Carlos, and that is a stance they should carry into the remaining days of the window, regardless of whether Geertruida signs.
