Aston Villa ‘submit opening bid’ for talented Serie A star with £24m release clause amid Bournemouth interest
Aston Villa are working on a number of exciting deals this summer as they draw up preparations for another competitive Premier League season which begins with a home clash against Champions League side Newcastle United.
The Villans are expected to once again compete in the upper echelons of the Premier League table next term and have proven in the past that they can mix it up with the very best teams after excellent performances against Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich among others in Europe.
Squad depth will be paramount if Unai Emery’s men are to achieve a Champions League finish, and with that in mind the former Villarreal boss is believed to be lining up a move to sign another centre-back to replace Axel Disasi.
The Chelsea man played 10 times during a loan move at Villa Park towards the end of last season and provided valuable competition for the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres.However, the ex-AS Monaco man is not expected to return to the West Midlands this summer despite being sold he’s likely to be surplus to requirements at Chelsea.
Aston Villa submit offer to land Bologna centre back
Corriere dello Sport, a news outlet based in Italy, claims Aston Villa have submitted an official bid to try and sign Bologna centre half Jhon Lucumi this summer. The report states that while Bournemouth were the first club to make enquiries over the defender’s availability, Villa have accelerated ahead by tabling an offer. It’s claimed that Lucumi has a release clause of around 28 million euro (£23.9m) which remains in place until 10 July but Villa’s offer falls short of that figure.
Emilia-Romagna-based side Bologna are thought to be keen to keep the defender on board, however, and are expected to reject any offers that fall below the defender’s release clause.
Bologna competed in last season’s Champions League after a fifth place finish in the 2023/24 campaign. It marked the club’s first appearance in the competition since 1964/65 after they had been crowned Italian champions. The Red and Blues finished 28th out of 36 in the League Phase of Europe’s elite competition and were beaten 2-0 by both Aston Villa and Liverpool with Lucimi starting in both matches. He scored once at the tournament in a 2-1 defeat to Lille.
However, Bologna after finishing ninth in Serie A won’t be competing in the Champions League. Instead, like Villa they’ll be in the Europa League as a result of their 1-0 triumph over AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final.
Why Jhon Lucumi has emerged as an Aston Villa target
Jhon Lucumi is a 29-time Colombian international in the prime years of his career at 26. He’s played 94 Serie A matches and has been a stalwart for both club and country in recent seasons.
Lucimi is 6ft 2 and blessed with exceptional strength, defensive awareness and experience in elite competitions such as the Champions League.
He’d provide strong competition to an ageing Tyrone Mings (32) as well as the existing first choice pairing of Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa. He made the Athletic’s Serie A Team of the Season and has proven he can thrive in important occasions after winning three career honours including the Belgian league and cup along with the Coppa Italia.
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