Aston Villa are reportedly ‘leading the chase’ for Chelsea man Joao Felix, and with the Blues keen on Jhon Duran, it’s stated a huge swap deal cannot be ‘ruled out’.
Villa could be very active at the back end of the January transfer window. Bids have come in for both their star strikers, Ollie Watkins and Duran.
The Villans have turned away a bid in the region of £45million for Watkins, but Duran is nearing a move to Al Nassr.
According to BBC Sport, the Colombian is ‘close’ to completing a move to the Middle Eastern side for a fee reported to be £65million (€77.7m/$80.7m).
But it has not yet been confirmed, and Villa’s attempts to sign Chelsea man Felix could see things change.
Indeed, talkSPORT reports Unai Emery’s side are ‘leading the chase’ to prise the Portuguese away from Stamford Bridge, and his unhappiness and the fact the manager wants him have opened the door to a move to Villa.
And with Chelsea on the trail of Duran, the report states ‘do not rule out Felix being part of another player exchange’.
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Felix only has eyes for Villa
Along with Emery wanting Felix, TEAMtalk is aware that the Chelsea striker wants to join Villa.
In fact, the Midlands outfit are the only club he’d like to leave for in January, despite being unhappy in his current situation.
A swap deal would surely see Chelsea pay Villa at least a small sum, given Duran is valued higher than Felix is likely to cost at this point.
If Villa were to get the full fee for their striker, they could potentially get a player with more quality than the Chelsea man.
That said, it seems Emery feels he can turn him back into a star after a tough period at Stamford Bridge, so he may have his focus on doing that.
Aston Villa round-up: Cunha another striker option
A report has stated that Villa are expected to make a bid for Matheus Cunha, who’s being courted by a number of Premier League sides.
It is believed, meanwhile, that an increased Arsenal bid for Watkins is likely to come in.
But the Gunners have also identified a number of alternatives, perhaps aware they will not be able to land the star striker.
And it’s reported that Darwin Nunez could have headed to Al Nassr, but Liverpool rejected a big offer for him, prior to the bid for Villa’s Duran coming in. Things could have been different had the Reds said yes.
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