Aston Villa handed transfer warning over £40 million Borussia Dortmund talisman
Aston Villa have been told that £40 million for one of the stars of Borussia Dortmund's season so far would not be enough to tempt him away from Germany.
Jamie Gittens has gone from a bit-part substitute player to one of the Black and Yellow's most relied-upon figures after starting the campaign brilliantly. The English winger has bagged nine goals and four assists in all competitions so far in 2024/25, improving impressively on his previous two seasons at the Signal Iduna Park.
Gittens followed in the footsteps of compatriots Jadon Sancho and former Birmingham City star Jude Bellingham in joining Dortmund at a young age and he is continuing to follow suit as he establishes himself as an exciting key player in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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The 20-year-old is a direct and tricky winger as demonstrated in his terrific Champions League displays and thrilling Bundesliga goals. After an opening day brace against Eintracht Frankfurt, Gittens has bagged against Spanish giants Real Madrid in Europe and scored an outstanding solo goal against rivals Bayern Munich in a 1-1 league draw.
The former Manchester City academy product has drawn interest from a quartet of English clubs, according to TBR Football, which includes Villa alongside Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to SportBILD, Dortmund's managing director Lars Ricken recently responded to a question over whether he would accept £40 million for the winger.
"I wouldn’t hang up immediately because that would not be in keeping with my character," Ricken said.
"But I would politely decline."
Should Gittens continue to make waves at Nuri Sahin's Dortmund, who are an underwhelming eighth in the Bundesliga as it stands, the London-born man will attract more and more attention.
Unai Emery's team would be a good suitor for Gittens should they make a concrete approach. The Villans are in need of a fresh spark in the wide areas with Leon Bailey struggling for form and Jaden Philogene not yet considered a consistent starter, and Dortmund's starlet would certainly bring that.
