Aston Villa have ‘expressed an interest’ in completing a deal for West Ham star Lucas Paqueta and could hijack Manchester United in another pre-deadline transfer.
The Villans have been quiet this summer after failing to qualify for the Champions League on the final day of last season has further limited an already small transfer budget as they struggle to star with the confines of PSR regulations.
Only goalkeeper Marco Bizot and forward Evann Guessand have been signed this summer for little more than £30m, while 14 players have left either on loan or permanently.
And Unai Emery confirmed in his press conference ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday that he “needs two or three players more” before the window shuts on Monday.
Emery said: “We are not expecting something special for the last three days around letting some players leave in the last two to three days.
“We are expecting to add us some players, because we need to improve only for numbers in the squad with the players we will want for the season, and now we need two or three players more. This is the idea.”
Villa are still in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over re-signing Marco Asensio, who impressed for them on loan in the second half of last season.
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Personal terms aren’t thought to be an issue but the two clubs are struggling to agree a fee for the Spain international.
And that’s pushed Villa to consider a move for Paqueta, who scored a stunning goal in the 5-1 defeat to Chelsea last weekend and has started all three of the Hammers’ first three fixtures of the season after the FA announced in July that a regulatory commission had found the most serious charges of spot fixing against the Brazil international “to be not proven”.
He was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer of 2023 before that allegations came to light and The Athletic now claim Villa have ‘expressed an interest’ in landing him before the deadline, with Emery and Villa’s recruitment Staff ‘big admirers’ of the 28-year-old.
The report adds:
‘Arranging a financial package, however, is very tough to do, with Villa working to comply with UEFA restrictions and the likely fee West Ham will demand is prohibitive.’
And The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claims Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens – who’s thought to be on the verge of a move to Manchester United – has also ’emerged as an option for Aston Villa’.
McGrath adds that Galatasaray are also in the running for the 23-year-old, with ‘nothing decided yet’ on his landing spot this summer.