‘Rangers to accept £25m Aston Villa bid for Nicolas Raskin transfer’
Aston Villa have progressed dramatically under the guidance of Unai Emery in recent years.
The Spanish boss was mocked at times during his previous stint with Arsenal, but after two years back in his homeland, he returned to the Premier League with a vengeance and has transformed Villa’s fortunes.
The Villans were languishing in the bottom half of the table when Emery arrived to replace Steven Gerrard, but he has helped them grow into a club who are very capable challengers to the established ‘Big Six.’
Villa’s progression as a club can be highlighted by the fact that their failure to qualify for the Champions League at the end of the campaign was seen as a huge disappointment, whereas in the past, they would arguably have been hailed for reaching the Europa League.
Villa are interested in a £25m move for Rangers star Nicolas Raskin
The B6 outfit’s failure to qualify for the Champions League hasn’t helped their financial situation.
Villa are at serious threat of breaching the Premier League’s PSR restrictions, meaning they must be sensible and cost-effective with any signings they do make this summer.
They are currently one of several sides understood to be interested in pursuing a move for Rangers’ Nicolas Raskin, according to the print edition of Corriere dello Sport (13 June, pg. 16).
The Villans are believed to be battling Marseille and Fiorentina for the Belgian international’s signature, but they should go all out to accelerate their interest and beat the pair to the deal.
Rangers are thought to be open to allowing Raskin to leave the club if a bid of £25million is received, and that should have caught Villa’s attention.
The midfielder would likely be a cheaper acquisition than a potential target playing in one of the more major European leagues and as such, could represent a very shrewd buy for the Villa Park outfit.
Raskin is ready for the Premier League
Monchi and Co. know that they won’t have cash to burn in the market this summer. Villa’s PSR constraints have prompted talk of the need for a major sale to raise funds, with Amadou Onana drawing interest from Saudi Arabia.
Raskin would be something of a gamble considering his relative lack of experience in top European leagues, but he could be a gamble worth taking at that price tag.
| Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 48 | 5 | 11 |
The 24-year-old has been excellent for Rangers this season, and has taken on further responsibility within the Bears’ side.
That has seen him notch career-best figures in terms of goal contributions, and when you factor in that he also has ample experience of the Europa League with the Glasgow outfit, he is surely a player who would be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
Villa’s summer business may ultimately revolve around how they can find value in players who were potentially not their first-choice targets, and in Raskin they may have found exactly that.