Aston Villa ‘turned down’ chance to sign £51m Euro winner who could have been a standout signing

Aston Villa have enjoyed a mixed start to their Premier League campaign with comprehensive victories over Burnley and Everton being sandwiched in between defeats to Newcastle and Liverpool.

Villa currently find themselves in 9th position and they are hoping to once again qualify for European football under the stewardship of Unai Emery.

Exciting times are back at the West Midlands with Emery at the helm and fans have been treated to a host of big name signings in recent months such as Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans.

But the Villa Park faithful were nearly treated to another blockbuster signing in the form of Euro 2020 winner Federico Chiesa, according to reports.

Chiese was one of the stars in Italy’s road to glory under the guidance of former boss Roberto Mancini and the winger scored two goals whilst also winning two man of the match awards.

Chiesa’s exceptional form earned him a place in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament and propelled him to international stardom.

Chiese is renowned for his exceptional pace, skill and workrate which makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with and during the 2020/21 campaign he was also awarded a place in the Serie A team of the season.

But he was heavily linked with a move away from Turin due to Juventus’s financial issues and the club were reportedly willing to sell the player to Aston Villa for a fee of £51m, according to GiveMeSport transfer reporter Dean Jones.

Ultimately, Villa signed Bayern Leverkusen winger Diaby in a deal worth around the same amount at £51.9m which put cold water on reports of a potential move.

Diaby has made an instant hit at Villa Park and has scored two goals from his opening five games, while Chiesa has also started the season in strong form with two goals from three appearances.

Jones remains confident that Villa will continue to pursue Chiesea but the likelihood of his transfer will depend on Juventus’ success on the pitch as they target Champions League qualification.

Jones adds that Liverpool may also emerge as a suitor for the player, particularly if they are hit with another world record breaking bid for Mohamed Salah in January.