Leon Bailey will be worried by £26m Aston Villa transfer news
Leon Bailey may be counting down the days until an Aston Villa exit this summer.
There is no secret that the Jamaica international is seen as an expendable member of the current squad amid various links away from Villa Park.
With just over a week until the Premier League season begins, a move is yet to be agreed for the 27-year-old elsewhere.
Despite this, Bailey may now be looking over his shoulder in B6 as a third signing of the summer is eyed by the claret and blue outfit.
Bailey under threat from new Aston Villa target
Last season was shocking from the Bayer Leverkusen man, something which certainly came as a surprise after his form the previous year.
Having failed to net more than one league goal, there is little reason for positivity surrounding the winger moving ever closer to the new campaign.
- Bailey contributed to just three league goals last season
- In the previous season, he registered 29 goal involvements in all competitions
- This saw a 23 G/A drop off across the two campaigns
As a result, moving him and his sizable wages off the books would certainly prove to be a wise move to help fight against SCR.
The chances of a Villa exit for Bailey do seem to have edged ever closer as the Villans eye a new target in the shape of Alexis Saelemaekers of AC Milan.
Villa are said to be interested in the Belgium international, with a bid potentially set to be tabled by Unai Emery’s side in the coming days [Milan News, 8 August].
Given that Rossoneri quoted Roma a fee in the region of £26million to sign the 26-year-old in February [Calcio Mercato, 11 February], the B6 could look to do business at a similar price range.
There is no getting away from the fact that the signing of a new right-sided ace for that sort of money would likely represent a direct replacement for Bailey.
Saelemakers outshines Bailey in many areas
Unfortunately for the Jamaican attacker, despite his adoration among the fan base, he has been far from good enough in the past 12 months.
Given his playing contribution compared to his weekly pay, there is little way to explain why he should be held onto beyond this summer.
If Bailey can be sold to someone like Besiktas for a positive fee, replacing him with Saelemaekers could prove to be a wise move.
The Belgian outperforms his right-wing counterpart in almost every metric, with pass completion, tackles, aerial duels won and goals being particular standouts.
If this comparison isn’t enough to prove exactly why the current Villa dud needs to be replaced, then nothing else will.
It will now be interesting to see if a new home can be found for the former Genk youngster and what that would mean for a swoop for Saelemaekers at San Siro.
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