Aston Villa are prepared to rival Juventus in the pursuit of Axel Witsel, who is available for just €5 million this summer.
According to Tuttosport, Borussia Dortmund have made Axel Witsel available in these closing stages of the transfer market. It has already put Juventus on alert, as the Old Lady consider him to be an ideal replacement for Weston McKennie if he ends up leaving Turin within the next few days.
Witsel is available for just €5 million as well, given the fact that Belgian is just returning from a long injury layoff and his current contract at Dortmund expires at the end of the season. But it appears Juventus are set to face stiff competition from Aston Villa in the pursuit of the experienced midfielder.
However, the deal is dependent upon many factors and there are doubts over Dortmund’s desire to sell in the first place. After all, Die Schwarzgelben have recently lost Thomas Delaney to Sevilla on a cut-price while Emre Can has sustained an injury that will keep him out for more than a few weeks.
It leaves Marco Rose with Mahmoud Dahoud and Jude Bellingham as the only options in midfield. They will have very little time to find a viable replacement if Witsel does indeed leave Signal Iduna Park in the summer.
Moreover, Juventus are the undisputed favourites in the race to sign the Belgian. So it will be essential for Aston Villa that McKennie doesn’t leave Turin at all, as it would force the Bianconeri to make a move for Witsel.
Unfortunately for Dean Smith, McKennie is already courted by a number of teams in England including Everton and West Ham, while Aston Villa themselves are also looking at him as an option. It does raise question marks on the club’s pursuit of Witsel, whose pedigree at the highest level of football coupled with his hefty wages at Dortmund should convince him to either remain put or move to Juventus.
Fortunately, Aston Villa have no shortage of options in the transfer market. While Witsel and McKennie are both targets, they are also reportedly interested in the services of Abdou Harroui from Sparta Rotterdam. The Dutchman is also available for a cut-price, though he may not bring the same level of experience as the two other options.
Aside from a central midfielder, Villa are eyeing a last-minute swoop for another forward, with Daniel Jebbison emerging as a viable target. The Villans may face stiff competition from Leeds United, though, as we head towards the final few days before the transfer market comes to a close.
