Aston Villa in five-step process to finalise Owen Asemota signing from Arsenal
Aston Villa are on the verge of signing young Arsenal goalkeeper Owen Asemota, according to Jeorge Bird.
The Gunners youth expert reported via his website on 28 August that Villa are set to pay £1million in compensation for the 16-year-old.
It is understood that the two Premier League clubs are currently in a "five-step process" to finalise a compensation payment after Asemota rejected a scholarship deal in North London.
Aston Villa set to sign Arsenal goalkeeper
Villa have made additions across the board this summer with Unai Emery welcoming a host of new faces to the first team while the club's youth squads have also been bolstered.
Ethan Amundsen-Day, Omar Khedr, Max Jenner, Leon Routh, Mason Cotcher and Kane Taylor have all been brought in and added to Villa's youth ranks since the end of last season and it looks as though Asemota will be joining them.
He's a bit younger than those aforementioned players at the age of 16, but the shot-stopper is an England youth international and does have the potential to possibly play at a higher age bracket.
Villa's youth recruitment suggests that they're not attracting the players they would hope to attract at a younger age who are in the area.
It's been stated previously that Villa's Bodymoor Heath training base, while state of the art, is well out of the city compared to the academy locations of Birmingham, West Brom and Wolves, who in recent years have been able to lure in better schoolboy talent in the West Midlands area.
Villa have therefore had to rely more on the recruitment of players aged 16 and above.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa are in an "absolutely wild" transfer hunt to get this deal done before the transfer deadline on Friday.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.