Advertisement

Aston Villa transfer state of play: Deadline Day defender search, Tottenham contact and Chelsea truth

Aston Villa's president of football operations Monchi
-Credit:ANP via Getty Images


Aston Villa confirmed the arrival of Marcus Rashford last night and will likely start deadline day be announcing Marco Asensio as the club's fourth winter window signing.

Rashford joins on loan with a £40m option to buy and Villa will be paying most of his £325,000-a-week wages during his spell until June. Asensio, meanwhile, will arrive on a straight loan, though it's thought that Paris Saint-Germain would be open to him staying at Villa on loan for the following season too.

The Spain international is a player who Unai Emery has previously tried to sign for Villa, but back in the summer of 2023, Asensio picked a move to PSG on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Marcus Rashford speaks out on Aston Villa transfer and sends Man United message

READ MORE: Striker spotted at stadium as Aston Villa give green light for deadline day transfer

READ | Aston Villa have perfect Marcus Rashford welcome gift after major transfer breakthrough

READ | Aston Villa agree next transfer after Marcus Rashford as medicals due

Both players could make their Villa debuts next Sunday for the club’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Tottenham at Villa Park. If Rashford had not been exiled by Ruben Amorim there would have been the fear of him being cup-tied for the remainder of the campaign.

But, as he did not play against Arsenal in the third round, that won't be the case. He and Asensio could then make their Premier League debuts for the club the weekend after on Saturday, February 15, against Ipswich Town, that being another home match.

Villa are also working to recruit a new defender, but a loan move for Axel Disasi appears to be off the cards for now. Chelsea view Villa as a direct competitor and are therefore asking for a large loan fee. Although they were happy to send Disasi to Tottenham, he refused a move as he wants to link up with Emery.

Chelsea's Joao Felix has been another target for Villa in the past month, but the Blues are unwilling to improve a rival by loaning them the Portuguese. They've also set Villa a huge £60m price tag for Felix, which they won't be matching.

As for outgoings, Kosta Nedeljkovic is joining RB Leipzig on loan, while Sil Swinkels is due to be confirmed as a Bristol Rovers player shortly after Villa agreed to send him out on loan to the League One club. Kadan Young is also due to sign for Belgian side Royal Antwerp.

Samuel Iling-Junior is expected to complete a loan switch to Middlesbrough after being recalled from his spell at Bologna in the Serie A. One player to keep an eye on is Leon Bailey, who is attracting interest from several clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. Fabrizio Romano claims that Spurs recently called Villa to be informed on the situation.

What business must Villa complete before the deadline? Tell us HERE