Villa open talks with £50m “monster” who’s way better than Douglas Luiz as a perfect replacement
The Bianconeri are set to sign the Brazil international for about £17m, with Villa claiming Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior in return too.
Whether such players are makeweights or players tailored to perform prominently within Emery’s vision remains to be seen but it’s without question that a sense of malaise has been left lingering at Villa Park, like mist.
After qualifying for the Champions League, the hope is that the Lions will cement their newfound position of power and build for lasting success, but losing Luiz threatens to be a detrimental blow, having been described as “one of the best 6s” in English football by journalist Adam Gilk.
Whether McKennie, who was criticised for his “poor” passing and “mistimed” tackling by journalist Beren Cross during his botched loan stint with Leeds United in 2022/23, is up for the task remains to be seen. Villa might be better off looking elsewhere.
Villa lining up Premier League star
Aston Villa have been eyeing a deal for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher for several weeks but now need to further their advances with haste after an important development.
Indeed, as per The Guardian, Chelsea are considering making a U-turn and offering the Three Lions star a new contract at Stamford Bridge, despite the vested interest of Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Valued at £50m, Gallagher has already been the focus of recent discussions between the Blues and Villa, so the blocks are in place to make a move.
Monchi and Co just need to move the pesky PSR quandary out of the way first.
Conor Gallagher’s season in numbers
From the onset of Chelsea’s struggles over the past few years, one constant source of optimism has been the ever-flowing talent cascading from Cobham Academy.
Gallagher, now aged 24, has been one of the creams of that crop but now faces an untimely exit from his boyhood club as they look to fund the summer’s anticipated spending. Gallagher is a homegrown product and thus would bring home pure profit if he was to be sold.
Aston Villa must pounce on the opportunity to bring him to the Midlands, especially so after losing Luiz. Across all competitions last season, he scored seven goals and added nine assists over 50 matches, but his influence stretched far further than that of goal contributions.
Hailed for bringing “balance and chemistry” to the Chelsea first team by reporter Liam Twomey, the £50k-per-week ace is the veritable lifeblood and makes such a difference to the performances of those around him.
