REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Ibrahim Mbaye, but Unai Emery is far from finished at Villa Park with the transfer deadline approaching.
To call this summer transformative for Villa would be an understatement. Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans have all completed exits already, while Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez are also expected to depart before the window shuts. Almost half the side that started the Europa League final against Freiburg back in May will not be at the club by Tuesday evening.
Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez reacts
But that exodus has handed Emery genuine spending power for the first time in years, and Villa have used it. Johan Manzambi, Zion Suzuki and Alejandro Garnacho have already arrived, and Nicolas Jackson is the latest to sign on the dotted line in a club-record £65m move from Chelsea.
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Player Nationality Previous Club Fee
Nicolas Jackson Senegal Chelsea £65m
Johan Manzambi Switzerland Freiburg £59.5m
Joao Gomes Brazil Wolves £38m
Zion Suzuki Japan Parma £30m
Matteo Ruggeri Italy Atletico Madrid £17m
Modou Keba Cisse Senegal LASK £4.3m
Leon Goretzka Germany Bayern Munich Free
Alejandro Garnacho Argentina Chelsea Loan
Aaron Wan-Bissaka DR Congo West Ham Loan
Villa had also been strongly linked with Rafael Leao, but the AC Milan winger now looks set to join Galatasaray instead, prompting Emery's side to swiftly redirect their attention to Mbaye, who had been PSG's most sought-after academy graduate all summer.
Indeed, The Athletic's David Ornstein confirmed on Friday that Villa have reached agreement to sign the 18-year-old for around €55m (£47m). Mbaye played 1,002 minutes in Ligue 1 last season, scoring three and assisting two, while completing 0.9 dribbles per 90, and the move is expected to be finalised this weekend.
With a striker and winger both taken care of, Villa's next priority is an attacking midfielder, and Como's Martin Baturina has emerged as the standout name on their shortlist.
Aston Villa bid rejected for Martin Baturina
Baturina-Croatia-World-Cup
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, via Sport Witness, the Croatian is "highly sought-after on the market", with Villa offering up to €70m (£60m) for his services, which would instantly make him their second biggest signing ever behind Jackson. However, Como consider the 23-year-old "untouchable" and have no intention of sanctioning a sale at this stage.
It isn't necessarily the end of the road, though. Sport Witness have previously reported that Como rejected a €55m bid for Baturina back in July, having set an €80m asking price, and club president Mirwan Suwarso has stopped short of ruling out a sale entirely, insisting he'd "listen" to the right offer. Villa may yet return with an improved bid before deadline day.
Baturina joined Como from Dinamo Zagreb last summer and instantly settled into Serie A life, scoring eight goals and adding four assists in 34 appearances in all competitions. Primarily an attacking midfielder, he's comfortable drifting wide into a left-wing role too, and Transfermarkt currently value him at around €45m, despite Como's much higher valuation.
With his contract running to 2030, Como are under no pressure to sell, but his creativity and eye for goal make him exactly the kind of forward-thinking midfielder Emery has been chasing.
The final piece of Villa's rebuild is at centre-back. Emery has turned his attention to West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo after the deal for Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez collapsed, though Marseille remain serious rivals for the former Barcelona defender. With time running out, that defensive addition may prove the trickiest of the lot to land.