Aston Villa player who was set to start vs RB Salzburg now in talks over exit
Unai Emery has been hard at work getting transfer business done this week.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that Douglas Luiz had re-joined Aston Villa, with the Brazilian midfielder signing on loan from Juventus with the view to a permanent deal in the summer.
Earlier in the week, another Villa Park homecoming was announced as Tammy Abraham completed his move from Besiktas.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa could also be edging closer to signing Oscar Mingueza, after it’s been reported that Juventus have dropped out of the race for the Celta Vigo defender.
Villa are also said to be eyeing a move for Danilho Doekhi, with Emery possibly looking to further bolster his defensive options with the Union Berlin centre-back.
Crystal Palace make Evann Guessand move
With further incomings a real possibility for Aston Villa before the 2 February deadline, some fringe players may need to be moved out of the West Midlands.
One such player who looks set to be on his way out of Villa Park before the window shuts is Evann Guessand, with the summer signing struggling to carve out a major role under Emery so far.
The 24-year-old winger signed from Nice in this season’s summer window, but has so far been able to make just 13 Premier League appearances this term, with only six of those being starts.
And with Leon Bailey back in the fold, as well as stern competition from the likes of Jadon Sancho, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers, as well as new signing Alysson, the Ivorian international is buried down the pecking order.
So, with Villa conscious of staying in the financial good books, a temporary move away from B6 seems like an opportunity that would be of interest to all parties.
And, as per an X post from The Athletic’s David Ornstein on Thursday, Crystal Palace are said to be in talks over a loan deal to sign Guessand.
Ornstein states that whilst there is interest from a host of European clubs, Palace are considered the favourites to sign Guessand before the deadline.
Since Ornstein’s initial report, numerous other highly-respected journalists such as Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna have taken it a step further, with claims now being made that an agreement between the two sides has been reached.
Aouna reports that the framework of the deal will see Guessand move to Selhurst Park on an initial loan deal, but it will include the option for Palace to sign him permanently.
Interestingly, Crystal Palace were interested in signing Guessand in the summer, but it was Villa who won his signature.
Aston Villa’s Salzburg teamsheet could be telling for Guessand
Villa are in Europa League action on Thursday night, as they welcome RB Salzburg to Villa Park for the final game in the league phase.
With Emery’s side having already booked their place in the round of 16, many are predicting he will rotate his starting XI against the Austrian side, with Guessand perhaps one of those to be handed a starting opportunity.
However, given these developments, it now looks highly unlikely that he will be involved on Thursday night, and if he’s not, that would all but confirm he is indeed leaving.
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