Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest 'keen' on landing Serie A gem but face brick wall in transfer pursuit
Aston Villa are interested in signing an AC Milan star
Aston Villa are thought to be one of the leading contenders to land AC Milan playmaker Alexis Saelemaekers in the final weeks of the summer window.
The Villans take on Newcastle United on the opening day of the season in what already looks like a match with huge implications on the European race this term. It’s an opportunity for Evann Guessand and Marco Bizot to potentially make their debuts at Villa Park, but it’s so far been a somewhat quiet transfer window on the whole in terms of reinforcements. Saelemaekers has been at AC Milan since 2020 but fell down the pecking order under Stefano Pioli towards the end of the 2023/24 season before being loaned out by incoming boss Paulo Fonseca after his exit from Lille that summer.
The 26-year-old scored seven and assisted the same number in 31 appearances for AS Roma to help the capital side secure a strong fifth place finish and Europa League qualification. He’s now back at AC Milan under new boss Massimo Allegri, and Birmingham World reported that Aston Villa were looking to do business with the Italian side over a with a £17m valuation reportedly set.
What does the future hold for Alexis Saelemaekers?
Alexis Saelemaekers rebuilt his reputation for club and country with an impressive season for AS Roma last year. It’s understood by Sports Witness that Gian Pierio Gasperini was keen to try and make the deal a permanent after arriving from Atalanta over the summer. However, it’s not thought to be possible due to the finances involved in the deal.
TuttoMercatoWeb and MilanNews.it both reported last week that Aston Villa had made contact over a move for the 26-year-old. While it’s also believed they face strong competition from Nottingham Forest after the City Ground club secured Europa League qualification as well.
Calciomercato reports that no offer has arrived at this stage while it’s now believed in Italy that Saelemaekers is committed to fighting for his place at the San Siro and proving himself with Milan. Saelemaekers has two years to run on his contract but could potentially be offered a fresh extension if he can prove himself with strong performances in the first half of the campaign.
What would Aston Villa need to do to convince Alexis Saelemaekers to join?
Aston Villa face a battle to convince Alexis Saelemaekers to move to the West Midlands and it’s likely any decision he makes will be weighted towards whether he can achieve regular first team football in the run-up to the World Cup as he looks to make the Belgium squad. Saelemaekers predominantly featured as a right wing-back throughout large chunks of last season but has proven throughout his career that he can operate further forward as a winger or even as an attacking midfielder.
At AC Milan before his loan exit, he played almost exclusively as a left-winger in a front three, and it’s not yet clear where Unai Emery would look to fit him in the squad. Saelemaekers is likely to largely depend on whether Massimo Allegri sees him as part of his plans as he looks to fire AC Milan from a mid-table team to one that can once again challenge for the Serie A title.