'Verbal agreement reached' - Aston Villa transfer update emerges as £45m star nears move elsewhere

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Reported Aston Villa target Joao Felix has made a deadline day move to Italy as Unai Emery’s side miss out.

Aston Villa are set to miss out on one of their most high-profile targets of the winter transfer window, with Chelsea forward Joao Felix joining Italian side AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season.

The Portuguese forward, who only signed for Chelsea permanently last summer in a deal worth a reported £45m including add-ons, had been on Unai Emery’s shortlist as he looked to add extra depth and firepower up front, but according to David Ornstein the former Atletico Madrid man will now move to Serie A instead.

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Milan have reached a “verbal agreement” to sign Felix on a loan basis with no purchase option, according to The Athletic’s Ornstein. Milan will also pay an up-front fee of €5.5m (£4.5m) and cover Felix’s wages in full. The deal is expected to be confirmed by the clubs later on deadline day.

Villa miss out on possible deadline day deal

It is unclear whether Felix remained a target for Villa heading into the final day of the transfer window. The Villans have already confirmed the arrival of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United on an initial loan basis, and are close to agreeing the signing of PSG’s Marco Asensio.

Another possible target for Monchi and his transfer team at Villa Park, Mathys Tel, appears to be set to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium instead with a loan deal agreed between Spurs and Bayern Munich.

Felix had been tipped as a future star of the global game following an explosive start to his career at Benfica, but he struggled under the weight of expectations after signing for Spanish side Atletico Madrid in a move worth an estimated £113m.

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The 25-year-old had a loan spell at Stamford Bridge during the 2022/23 season before later moving to Chelsea permanently last summer, but he struggled to perform consistently under new head coach Enzo Maresca and the Blues have wasted no time finding him a new home.

Asensio close as defender search continues

With Rashford already announced, Aston Villa are widely expected to continue their deadline day work with a move for PSG attacking midfielder Marco Asensio, who is believed to be close to confirming his move from the French capital.

The Villans may have more work to do after the Asensio deal is completed, however, with a defender still a priority following the departure of the experienced Diego Carlos. The club had hoped to get a deal for Chelsea’s Axel Disasi over the line, but negotiations seem to have stalled and it appears that they will have to cast their net wider to find defensive reinforcements.

There is also a chance that Jamaican winger Leon Bailey leaves Villa Park prior to Monday night’s deadline, with both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United rumoured to be considering a move for the winger.

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In other news, young right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic has agreed to join German outfit RB Leipzig on an initial loan basis. Leipzig have the option to make the 19-year-old Serb’s move permanent in the summer for a fee in the region of £12.5m.

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