Aston Villa deal now scuppered by work permit issues as clock ticks down to deadline
Kosta Nedeljkovic’s supposed loan move to Valencia has completely fallen apart.
With the transfer market shutting at 7pm on Monday, Aston Villa have very little time to let certain young players leave on loan.
Last summer, Nedeljkovic joined Bundesliga side RB Leipzig on a season-long loan deal.
Due to a lack of game time for the German side, the Villans are keen for the right-back to go out on loan to another European club.
Valencia were said to be interested, although they had to pull out of negotiations due to work permit issues regarding the Serbian.
Kosta Nedeljkovic’s work permit issues could force him to stay at Aston Villa
The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at RB Leipzig, making 11 appearances in the process.
However, he has only played six times in all competitions for them this season, and it’s clear that Unai Emery wants him to earn more first-team minutes.
Valencia wanted to sign Nedeljkovic, but the move fell through due to bureaucratic problems.
| Stat | Nedeljkovic |
| Appearances | 5 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Minutes played | 252 |
| Successful passes per 90 minutes | 87.1% |
| Accurate long balls per 90 minutes | 62.5% |
| Touches per 90 minutes | 67.1 |
Spanish media outlet Diario AS have reported that the Spanish outfit considered signing him to register him as a reserve team player as he is below the age of 23.
An agreement with RB Leipzig, Aston Villa and Valencia was in place, although Nedeljkovic wasn’t able to secure a visa.
As Valencia’s reserve team plays in the Segunda RFEF league, they aren’t classed as a professional team, and obtaining a visa could have taken up to two months.
This meant that the deal couldn’t be completed before 2 February.
Fiorentina and Wrexham are keen on signing Nedeljkovic, and that looks to be the only way he can secure a temporary move away from B6.
The potential move to Fiorentina or Wrexham will go right down to the wire, although it’s clear that the Italian outfit are the firm favourites to sign him.
Aston Villa have firm plan in place for many of their youngsters
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba joined West Brom on loan for the remainder of the season, with Emery keen to see him play regularly.
Ben Broggio looks on course to join Falkirk, with the Under-21 midfielder aiming to have an impact in the Scottish Premiership.
Rory Wilson has attracted interest from German side Hoffenheim, and if he were to leave on a straight loan deal, it would trigger a one-year extension on his contract.
It remains to be seen how each of these young talents will perform, but Villa certainly have a clear strategy for each individual player.
Should Nedeljkovic leave on loan, he is yet another prospect whose development could be fast-tracked elsewhere.
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