Aston Villa are trying to hijack a move for a player dubbed a ‘walking mountain’ who had reportedly been promised to West Ham.
The dramatic swoop will come as a potential blow to the Hammers in their summer rebuild plans as Aston Villa start to make moves – although it’s not a done deal yet.
West Ham and Aston Villa share more than a claret and blue kit in common this summer.
The Hammers and Villa also have equally frustrated fanbases right now as PSR restricts the business they can do in the transfer window.
Aston Villa were named as the Premier League club most in danger of a PSR breach ahead of the accounting deadline at the end of last month.
Meanwhile West Ham’s owners have insisted since as far back as November that they have no wiggle room for spending.
Aston Villa and West Ham make slow start to transfer window
The Hammers board state that is because £100m plus losses are coming in their next accounts while the club also rather ill-advisedly borrowed against – and spent – all £69m owed to them by other clubs for transfers.
Speculation was rife Aston Villa were going to have to sell a top player before the June 30 deadline.
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West Ham have even been linked with Jacob Ramsey recently as Villa reportedly needed to bring in £40-50m before the deadline.
But Villa ended up selling their women’s team instead to exploit a PSR loophole used by Chelsea and others.
West Ham have ruled out selling their women’s team to raise funds.
Graham Potter shakes hands with Unai Emery ahead of a Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on April 01, 2023
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Villa’s wealthy owners have previously threatened to sue the Premier League over PSR, insisting it is stopping them showing their true ambition of competing with the elite.
Some West Ham fans would argue their owners use PSR as a convenient excuse not to spend.
But the Hammers’ transfer window has finally come to life this week with confirmation that multiple bids are in for players.
Both West Ham and Aston Villa have brought in promising 19-year-old strikers on free transfers this week.
The Hammers captured Scottish hotshot Daniel Cummings from Celtic while Villa signed free agent Zepiqueno Redmond after his contract with Feyenoord expired.
While both Graham Potter and Unai Emery are understood to still be searching for a new more proven forward, attentions turn to another important position – centre-back.
Villa in bid to sign ‘walking mountain’ promised to West Ham
And now Aston Villa have swooped in a bid to sign a ‘walking mountain’ that was promised to West Ham.
Potter has been linked with a number of centre-backs including Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Oscar Mingueza to name just two.
Aston Villa are known to be in the market for a new central defender too.
And that has put the two clubs on a collision course over a target if new reports are to be believed.
When Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay arrived in January, Yann Bisseck was said to be the name at the top of their shortlist.
West Ham were given the green light to sign Bisseck by Inter Milan once they got the Champions League final out of the way.
It was claimed Inter Milan had agreed to sell Bisseck to the Hammers after UEFA’s showpiece final on May 31st.
And impressive 24-year-old German international Bisseck was a contender to be among West Ham’s first summer signings of the Potter overhaul.
Yann Bisseck of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
It was claimed Inter had agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign Benoit Badiashile and that they were happy to let Bisseck join West Ham as a result.
Disaster struck when Bisseck suffered a serious-looking injury in that Champions League final, leaving the pitch in tears.
Now it could be Aston Villa leaving the Hammers in tears.
Because now Emery and Monchi are looking to leapfrog West Ham for Bisseck by going ‘all in’ for the £30m defender to ‘sign him immediately’.
That’s according to La Gazetta dello Sport, who suggest the player would be up for the move as he looks to become a starter for Germany.
“Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have had Yann Bisseck in their sights for some time, and are ready to make a €35 million (£30m) offer to bring him to the Premier League immediately,” the report states.
“A transfer that can satisfy all parties involved: Inter, who need liquidity to operate on the market, but also the player, eager to accumulate minutes on the pitch to return to the rotations of Germany.”
Bisseck has been a key player for Inter Milan all season.
Hailed for his leadership qualities, physique and great skill with both feet, the ball-carrying centre-back was hailed as the ‘prototype of the modern defender’ by David Nielsen, his first coach at Aarhus.
Nielsen described Bisseck as a real ‘walking mountain’.
West Ham made a bid for Bisseck last year so interest from the east Londoners and Villa is nothing new.
While the Hammers wait for funds from sales, though, Villa have now sorted their immediate PSR issues and clearly have the money available to get a deal for Bisseck done.