Fenerbahce have reportedly shown interest in Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, but as of yet, no formal talks have taken place between the two clubs.
The 27-year-old flourished the season before last as he thrived working under Unai Emery, contributing 14 goals and 14 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions.
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While it had been hoped that he would build on that and continue to play a pivotal role for us last year, injuries and loss of form led to a much more limited impact from the Jamaican international, as he could only manage two goals and four assists in 38 outings.
That in turn raised question marks over his future at the club heading into this summer, and according to Footmercato, Fenerbahce could offer him a fresh start elsewhere as the Turkish giants are said to be interested in Bailey.
It’s claimed in the report that talks have started over a potential deal for the winger, but as per Fabrizio Romano, no concrete talks have taken place as of yet between the two clubs or with Bailey in relation to personal terms.
Although it would be a shame if last season was Bailey’s last with Villa given it didn’t go as desired after such an impressive campaign previously, the club is now in a position where we need every player in the squad making an important contribution on a consistent basis when called upon.
If Emery doesn’t have the same level of faith in Bailey that he can provide us with that, we must continue to strengthen the squad in order to become more competitive across multiple fronts, and selling Bailey would not only lower our wage bill, but it would give us valuable transfer funds to sign a replacement to bolster our attacking options.
Nevertheless, time will tell if an agreement can be reached between the two clubs if Fenerbahce do indeed opt to step up their reported interest and open talks over a deal, as hopefully the terms will be favourable from a Villa perspective to boost our hopes of signing an upgrade in that position.
The expectation is that Donyell Malen will have a bigger role next season after showing what he’s capable of in his first few months at the club, but with loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio not returning after last season, Villa will surely be in the transfer market to strengthen our options in the final third regardless of what happens with Bailey’s future.
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