Aston Villa face transfer disappointment after €18m deal agreed

Aston Villa have seen one of their reported transfer targets close in on a move to a different club. 

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Napoli have agreed terms with Hellas Verona for Cyril Ngonge. An €18m deal plus add-ons has been agreed and now negotiations are ongoing for the player to agree terms.

Get Italian Football News say that Napoli have 'all but sealed' a move for Ngoge which spells disappointment for Villa if they held a genuine transfer interest. 

It was reported in Italy that Villa had been 'on the brink' of signing Ngonge for a reported £8.7m however that doesn't seem to be the case and the price has gone considerably up. Seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan are said to have held talks regarding wanting to sign Ngonge, but now he could head to the reigning Serie A champions.

The 23-year-old has got six goals and two assists in 19 games this season for Hellas in what has been a positive start to life in Italy. He moved to Verona from Dutch side FC Groningen in January and so far has got 11 goals in 36 games for his current side.

Unai Emery this month has admitted that he would look to do some business however Villa are adopting a one-in-one-out policy and are working towards the confines of Financial Fair Play. Villa's Premier League rivals Everton and Nottingham Forest are to receive their punishments for failing to stay within the parameters of FFP and Villa will not do business for the sake of it.

Ngonge is an out-and-out striker and perhaps he would have been considered a more serious option had Jhon Duran departed this month but he looks likely to stay. Duran has been subject to speculation about a move away from Villa Park, but Emery revealed that he wants to keep him in the Midlands.

"He is playing and he is being important, he is young," said Emery when asked about the future of Duran.

"We need experiences and he is here having experiences with us. We need a second striker because we have to try to be strong in our squad with two players per position. It is Watkins and Jhon Duran. I am working with him a lot, his commitment is progressively better.

"When we talked about the decision to sign him one year ago, the process we are doing with him is it."

Jhon Duran might be staying at Villa but both Calum Chambers and Bertrand Traore have been made available for transfer. Traore is currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso whilst Chambers has not been in the first-team picture at Villa.