Aston Villa will not entertain bids to part ways with 26-year-old French midfielder Boubacar Kamara in the January transfer window.
According to an update from Mick Brown on Football Insider, Boubacar Kamara is the subject of interest from Chelsea, with Inter Milan also vying for his signature. The Blues are eager to bolster their first-team squad by signing a ball-playing holding midfielder, and they have their sights set on the 26-year-old Aston Villa mainstay.
Mick Brown said, “Kamara is still a very important player for Aston Villa, he’s playing every week at the moment. Unai Emery likes him, he sees him as an important part of their plans, so I expect Villa will not be entertaining any offers for him, regardless of who might be interested.”
Boubacar Kamara and his Aston Villa journey so far
Boubacar Kamara has established himself as an asset for Aston Villa despite experiencing a stop-start spell since arriving from Marseille in a Bosman move in July 2022. The 26-year-old has been a reliable presence in the middle of the park, although persistent fitness issues have plagued him over the past four years, restricting him to 137 appearances for the Villans (less than 35 per season).
Fortunately for Kamara, injuries have not troubled him this season, with the French midfielder already accumulating over 1,000 minutes of game time in 14 outings thus far while providing two assists. Meanwhile, his progress has piqued the attention of several high-profile clubs, putting Aston Villa in a spot of bother.
London calling?
Chelsea’s interest in Boubacar Kamara is understandable. The Blues are scouring the market for a holding midfielder who can shore up the central areas alongside Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. The West London club could not replace Enzo Fernandez after he joined Manchester City in a record deal in the summer transfer window, though they came close to signing Lamine Camara from AS Monaco.
However, Camara is no longer a target for Chelsea, with a move to Liverpool instead likely for the Senegalese international. So, the West Londoners have set their sights elsewhere, with Kamara emerging as a viable target due to his extensive Premier League experience, reliability with the ball at his feet (86% overall pass rate and 84% accuracy in opposition half this season) and ability to retain solidity out of possession (4 recoveries and 2.8 successful tackles per game this term).
However, with Aston Villa unwilling to sell the Frenchman, Chelsea must look elsewhere for a holding midfielder. The Villans’ stance is logical, as with Amadou Onana sidelined for all of the 2026/27 season due to a long-term knee injury, Unai Emery cannot afford to lose a key midfielder midway through the season.
