At the end of the week, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest were linked with Udinese defender Jaka Bijol.
Messaggero Veneto [made](https://sportwitness.co.uk/nottingham-forest-west-ham-and-aston-villa-in-for-2-players-at-same-club-villa-want-both/) it clear the centre-back will have doubts about a move to either club, as they are not playing in the Champions League.
Despite that, some hope has been handed to both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in their chase for the Slovenian, who played 34 times in Serie A during the 2024/25 season and regularly made his mark.
Italian agent Claudio Pasqualin has now spoken to [Messaggero Veneto](https://www.messaggeroveneto.it/sport/cessione-udinese-calcio-americani-claudio-pasqualin-si-fida-solo-pozzo-fyeofenw) about Bijol’s furture and he said the Premier League could be a good destination for the defender.
Pasquelin said, whilst also speaking of Oumar Solet and Lorenzo Lucca: _“It’s true that Lucca has the characteristics that Conte likes, but you can’t have everything in life._
_“We’ll see. Solet has made a great impression and would also be good at Inter and Juventus, but in general there’s more money in the Premier League, so the target market for the two defenders doesn’t surprise me.”_
When asked whether a fee of €25m could be good enough for the Friulian side to sell Bijol, Pasqualin said:
_“I would definitely say yes, especially for Lucca, who can access a higher level in Serie A, and Solet, while for Bijol I have a few more reservations because the Slovenian has taken a few too many breaks.”_
Pasqualin also expressed confidence in the fact that Lucca, Bijol and Solet will be sold in the summer transfer window.
_“Given the ability of the Pozzos, I would say yes, even if they have never sold in a hurry. Haste, in this case, could make potential buyers procrastinate, influencing the negotiations, so I believe that the objective will be achieved, even if not easily and in a short time.”_
Both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will be playing in European competitions next season and because of that, they will need to improve their options.
Bijol has now made close to 100 appearances across three seasons for Udinese and has even shown an ability to play in midfield.
This suggests the 26-year-old could be a handy signing for either of the two sides and a fee of around €25m would be a decent figure to sign someone like Bijiol.