Aston Villa have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit to land one of their key targets before transfer Deadline Day.
The time for Aston Villa to get business done is slowly fading as the transfer window slams shut at 11 pm on Friday.
For Unai Emery and Monchi, it’s been a successful transfer window as seven signings have helped gear the Villans up for their Champions League campaign.
But as the deadline approaches, there are still a few key positions that need plugging, namely at centre-back and right-back.
Villa were pushing to resolve that problem by capturing Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida however, it was revealed that Emery needed to sanction the exits of three players before stumping up the £30m asking price.
Sadly, that stumbling block has appeared to hamper Villa’s chances of signing the Dutchman as a Champions League rival close in on a deal.
Lutsharel Geertruida set for RB Leipzig medical as Aston Villa dealt transfer blow
Heading into deadline day, capturing Geertruida was a dream scenario for Emery, as he would have killed two birds with one stone due to his ability to play as a right-back and centre-back.
Villa are currently light on options at right-back following the injury to Matty Cash, whose current deputy is 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic.
Geertruida was therefore targeted as a ‘crucial’ player to instantly become first-choice to take the pressure off the young Serbian however, that is no longer the case, as the 24-year-old is set for a medical at RB Leipzig.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano via X, the powerful Dutchman is to undergo a medical at the Bundesliga giants on Friday after agreeing on a package in excess of €25m (£21m).
This deals a crushing blow to Emery, who will return to the drawing board as he seeks an alternative to Geertruida on deadline day.
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Aston Villa’s Lutsharel Geertruida alternative
In the event that Villa missed out on Geertruida, which it looks like they have, Emery needed a backup plan.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Aston Villa were still looking at Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, who is available for a similar price and attracting Premier League interest from Crystal Palace.
The 25-year-old is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and Enzo Maresca is looking to shift him out of the door before the window shuts.
Now that Villa have lost out in the race for Geertruida, perhaps they should step up their interest in Chalobah, a player who would provide similar versatility to the Dutchman.
He’s played in multiple roles during his career, including as a right-back, centre-back and defensive midfielder, so he would therefore be a handy player to have.
It remains to be seen what Villa now do after losing out on their primary target and whether Chalobah is someone that could pique their interest.
