'Sale in progress' - Aston Villa shift one step closer to snapping up £10m Man City target

Aston Villa have been handed some huge encouragement in their ongoing pursuit of Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan as a key figure in negotiations has spoken out about a potential deal.

The Villans are working behind the scenes to try and capture the wonderkid midfielder’s signature as quickly as possible because several other Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester City, also hold a strong interest.

Nypan became Rosenborg’s youngest ever debutant and goalscorer back in 2022, when he was merely 15 years of age. The midfielder, now 18, is one of the Norwegian club’s star players and he’s been spoken about in the same breath as fellow countrymen Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Antonio Nusa.

Although not quite young enough on his Rosenborg debut to displace Odegaard as the youngest player in Eliteserien history, Nypan’s rapid adaptation and progression have been no less impressive. The teenager has already racked up 62 appearances for Rosenborg, contributing 14 goals and 11 assists and totalling over 4,000 senior minutes.

Having been approached in January by Villa, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Girona, Borussia Dortmund and several other top clubs, Nypan is one of the most in-demand prospects in Europe.

Villa encouraged in Nypan race

It was reported earlier in the week by The Athletic that Villa had taken a step forward in their pursuit of Nypan but were yet to agree a fee with Rosenborg. That could soon change, however, as Nypan’s father Arne Nypan, among Rosenborg’s board members, has spoken out to confirm his son will definitely be sold this summer.

In an interview with Norwegian publication Nidaros, as relayed by Sport Witness, Arne responded to a question about Villa. “I am in the process of selling my son and then I am buying an accounting firm,” he said.

Would Sverre Nypan suit Aston Villa?

Predominantly a central midfielder but also capable of playing as a number 10 or even as a centre-forward, Nypan is versatile and could be utilised in a variety of ways by Villa boss Unai Emery.

Nypan is a well-rounded midfielder, perhaps even more so than Odegaard who operates solely as a number eight for Arsenal. The teenager is a strong passer, has good spacial awareness, is able to beat an opponent on the half turn and often arrives late in the box to score goals.

It would be very difficult to displace the likes of Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara in the starting XI, but Nypan could perhaps initially rotate in for the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and European fixtures while he beds in. An experiment could perhaps take place with him as a wide midfielder drifting in, too, just how John McGinn so often does.

Regardless of whether he can make an immediate impact, Nypan has the potential to become a key player for Villa and Emery, so good at working with youngsters, is bound to have a plan to get the most out of him.

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