Aston Villa open discussions to sign Vitoria Guimares defender Ibrahima Bamba – report
Aston Villa have opened discussions with Portuguese club Vitoria Guimares to sign talented young defender Ibrahima Bamba who holds a €30m (£26.7m) release clause, according to Times Sport.
This news comes after the club announced [The Athletic, 15 February] their partnership with the Portuguese club with chairman and co-owner Nassef Sawiris’ holding company, V Sports, purchasing a 46 per cent stake in Vitoria’s shares for a fee of £4.9m.
And it seems as if the West Midlands outfit are using their connections to acquire one of the Vitoria’s biggest talents.
Times Sport [16 February] reports, Bamba, 20, is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Portuguese football and Villa would be given priority in transfer negotiations in the view of loaning the player back to Vitoria next season, should a deal get done.
The defender is currently valued at around €10m (£8.9m) alongside his €30m (£26.7m) release clause.
Exciting
This is an exciting move from Aston Villa as the Villains seek to use its new connections and partnership with Vitoria to acquire one of the biggest talents at the club.
Bamba is highly regarded in Portugal and is already a seasoned regular at the club having undergone a tremendous breakthrough campaign this year making 19 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight.
In order for Villa to build a sustainable and attractive model, these are the deals they need to be involved in. Signing some of the biggest young talents in the game and providing them with the resources and facilities to develop into world beaters at the club.
It is an ideal step in the club’s long-held ambitions of becoming an established European outfit in the future. It’s a great move for all parties involved.
In other Aston Villa news, the club face competition from Barcelona to secure the signing of a striker at the end of the season.