Aston Villa reportedly submit £18m transfer offer for Juventus midfielder

Aston Villa were set to submit a formal transfer offer of £18 million to sign midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur from Juventus last night, according to a report from Football Insider.

Steven Gerrard’s side were first linked with the player last week and it now appears that plans are in place to try and bring the 24-year old to Villa Park this week.

Villa have already splashed the cash this month to sign Lucas Digne for £25 million from Premier League rivals Everton, who they beat 1-0 at the weekend, while also bringing in Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho on-loan.

Here s everything you need to know about Rodrigo Bentacur and what has been reported:

Who is Rodrigo Bentacur?

Rodrigo Bentacur is a 24-year old midfielder who plays for Serie A side Juventus.

The Uruguyan international moved to Turin from Argentinian side Boca Juniors in 2017 and has played 178 games for the club, scoring three goals.

Despite being only 24, Bentacur has already won five top division titles in his career as he lifted the Argentinian Primera División with Boca in 2015 and 2017 and the Serie A with Juve in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Hi collection of medal doesn’t end there having also won the Copa Italia twice, Supercoppa Italiana twice and the Copa Argentina.

On the international stage, Bentacur has earned 45 caps for the Uruguayan men’s international side.

Despite making 32 appearances for club and country this season, the midfielder has failed to hold down a regular starting berth in the Juventus team and has been used more often as a substitute.

What has been reported about Rodrigo Bentacur joining Aston Villa?

The news first broke late last week that Aston Villa were reportedly interested in signing Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur this month.

At that point it was said that Villa had “made and approach” for Bentacur and that discussions are underway while also saying that Juventus were apparently willing to “listen to offers” as the looked to “rebalance their squad”.

That news progressed and it has now been reported that the Premier League side have submitted a formal offer to sign the player who is said to be “very keen” on the move to Villa Park.

A new midfield signing is thought to have been high on Gerrard’s priority list after losing Marvelous Nakamba to a knee injury, which will require surgery, last month.

The fee is reportedly £18 million and it is believed that the Turin side will be keen to accept the bid, despite Bentacur being under contract until 2024, as they look to free up funds in their bid to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlhavoic.

The Serbian international, who has been in incredible form over the past 18 months, has been linked with Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in this window but it is Arsenal who looked like the most serious contenders from England.

However, the player looks set to snub a move to North London and complete a £63 million move to Juventus instead.