The Experienced Player agrees personal terms with Aston Villa as Everton exit being finalised
Lewis Dobbin has agreed personal terms with Aston Villa ahead of leaving Everton this summer, according to TEAMtalk.
Writing on their website (20 June), the news outlet reports that the contractual agreement has been “signed off” but the two clubs remain in talks over a final fee for the transfer.
A deal is being finalised for the 21-year-old to head to Villa Park, with Tim Iroegbunam moving to Goodison Park in a separate deal to help both clubs with their PSR issues.
Everton PSR update after Lewis Dobbin transfer
It seems as though Everton and Aston Villa are both working together to circumvent a potential PSR breach this summer, and it makes total sense.
Reports suggest that the Toffees need to sell before June 30th [Liverpool Echo, 10 April] to avoid another breach, but David Ornstein has claimed that the club prefer to sell youth products rather than key first-team stars to do so [Athletic, 18 June].
Dobbin has made an impact in the first-team but is still way down the pecking order under Sean Dyche, and with incomings expected this summer, he’d likely drop even further down.
So it makes sense if the club have offers for him that would help them avoid a breach to cash in, and if they can strengthen the team in a separate deal for Iroegbunam that kills two birds with one stone.
Everton will be laughing at how this has developed, but ultimately the transfers make total sense for everyone involved despite the fact Dobbin is an academy player fans would have loved to see make it in the first-team.
In other Everton news, the club have tabled a £10.9m bid for this Man City player after 24 Premier League appearances last season.
We begin Friday’s Premier League transfer rumour roundup with claims Manchester United have made contact with the representatives of Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha. According to a report from Caught Offside, the Red Devils have held initial talks with the Brazilian’s agents ahead of a possible summer swoop.
Arsenal are also said to be keen on the forward, who could be valued as highly as £63.3 million by his current employers. Whether either club is willing to pay that much for the 25-year-old remains to be seen – although his record of 22 goals involvements across 36 appearances in all competitions last season may go some way towards convincing them of his worth.
Elsewhere, GiveMeSport report that Aston Villa are closing in on a deal to sign Dutch full-back Ian Maatsen from Chelsea. According to the online outlet, the Villans are ‘on the verge’ of beating Borussia Dortmund to the 22-year-old’s signature after his head was turned by the prospect of playing Champions League football next season. Maatsen spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan in Dortmund, and competed in a Champions League final earlier this month.
