Georges Mikautadze is expected to join Villarreal in La Liga.placeholder image
Georges Mikautadze is expected to join Villarreal in La Liga. | AFP via Getty Images
The forward had reportedly ‘agreed personal terms’ with Aston Villa earlier in the window
Highly-rated Aston Villa target Georges Mikautadze is reportedly on the verge of completing a move to Unai Emery’s former club Villarreal despite strong interest from the Premier League club.
Aston Villa are yet to score in their opening two league matches this season and are believed to be in the market for attacking reinforcements to provide competition to Ollie Watkins, Evann Guessand and Morgan Rogers among others as they prepare for a demanding 50+ game season which features Europa League football.
The Villans have so far had a challenging summer which has constrained their spending power due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, but they have managed to sign forward Guessand, promising Turkish defender Yasin Ozcan and free agent back-up goalkeeper Marco Bizot. Funds for these deals have largely come from the sale of academy graduate Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for around £40m, but there’s still thought to be some room in the budget for other reinforcements before the window slams shut.
Aston Villa miss out on Georges Mikautadze
According to Fabrizio Romano, George Mikautadze is edging closer to a move from French giants Lyon to Spanish side Villarreal after just one season in Parc Olympique Lyonnais.The 24-year-old, who has scored 20 times in 37 caps for Georgia, joined from Ajax after an impressive loan spell at Metz and proved to be an instant hit in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, scoring 11 times in 37 league appearances and 17 in 47 matches across all competitions.
However, Romano has ended talk of a move to Villa Park, by posting on X: “Villarreal have sealed the deal to sign Georges Mikautadze, here we go! Flight booked on Saturday, medical on Sunday and €30m transfer fee to OL. Mikautadze, the special signing wanted by Villarreal as Dovbyk deal was never done.”
What next for Aston Villa?
Aston Villa are running out of time to get reinforcements into the building but there’s still hope that a deal could potentially be reached with former fan favourite Marco Asensio. The Spaniard enjoyed a stellar loan spell in the West Midlands last season and is believed to be available for a cut-price fee after being told he’s surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain.
Negotiations over that particular deal are thought to be ongoing with a valuation of just £13m being mooted by several journalists. The three-time Champions League winner scored eight times and provided one assist in 21 appearances for Villa towards the end of last season, helping the club to a sixth place finish, an FA Cup semi-final and a Champions League quarter-final.
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