Ramsey closer to Aston Villa exit as sources issue ‘advanced’ transfer update
Aston Villa could sell Jacob Ramsey to make way for a new signing this summer.
Ramsey has seen his stock gradually fall under Unai Emery, resulting in the midfielder starting just half of Villa’s Premier League games last season.
The 24-year-old has just two years left on his contract and would present pure profit if he were sold, which would go a long way to alleviating the PSR issues facing Villa.
Emery is keen for the Midlands club to make significant headway in the final month of a quiet transfer window so far, and looks set to bring in a new midfielder.
Villa ready to enter talks for Gabriel Sara
Villa have been tracking Gabriel Sara since the start of the summer, after the midfielder enjoyed a stellar debut season for Galatasaray, helping them retain the Super Lig title.
The central midfielder was a regular feature for the Turkish champions and registered an impressive nine league assists from the middle of the park.
The former Norwich City player is attracting a lot of attention from Premier League sides, with sources informing CaughtOffside (2 August) that Villa’s interest is the most “advanced”.
Negotiations have not been formalised, but it is expected that Villa could soon make their first move to sign the Brazilian midfielder.
The 26-year-old is valued at around £35million, but the Claret and Blues believe him to be worth significantly less.
Nevertheless, it would be Emery’s first significant outlay of the summer, and could spell Ramsey’s exit as the England international would have even less game time available to him.
Emery needs players through the door
Emery played down concerns ahead of Villa’s final pre-season game in America against Nashville SC on Saturday (2 August), stating that the wobbly pre-season form is due to his focus on giving youth a chance.
However, this was only partially true, as Villa’s last two fixtures against Eintracht Frankfurt and St Louis had almost exclusively first-team players starting, yet the performances were unconvincing.
The positive sign is that they have still managed to score goals, but it is clear to see that there are gaps that need to be filled all over the pitch, especially in attacking areas.
Moves for players like Alejandro Garnacho and Sara need to be concluded quickly to give Emery enough time to integrate them into his side and give the club a boost going into a pivotal season.
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