Aston Villa braced as new club enters transfer fight for £66m 'talisman'
Action could take place at Aston Villa as Inter Milan have entered the race to sign a £33m-rated midfielder.
Inter Milan have reportedly registered an interest in Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oihan Sancet, a player being watched closely by Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side may have to brace themselves to take action if they want to sign Sancet as Inter are just one of several clubs said to be keen. It comes as no surprise that the 24-year-old is highly sort-after as he has scored five goals in the opening 10 matches across all competitions this campaign.
Four times a full Spain international, Sancet has been a guaranteed starter for Athletic throughout the past two and a half seasons. The attacking midfielder has contributed a total of 30 goals and 15 assists in 114 starts, helping propel the Bilbao-based club to three successive top-eight finishes in La Liga, as well as last term’s Copa Del Rey crown.
Spanish publication Fichajes reports reigning Italian Serie A champions Inter have recently sparked an interest in signing Sancet. The same outlet claimed a few days ago that Villa had been captivated by Sancet’s recent performances with Emery seeing the Spaniard as the ‘key piece’ to complete the midfield puzzle at Villa Park.
There’s a catch, however, as Athletic tied Sancet down to a very long-term contract last April, keeping their talisman at San Mamés Stadium until June 2032. Fichajes claims the only way clubs have a chance of prying the midfielder away is by activating his €80 million (£66.7 million) release clause.
Even then, as proven by Nico Williams over the summer, it’s difficult to convince players to leave Athletic as the team spirit is incredibly high. This feeling is heightened further by the fact the club only allows players born in the Basque Country - or those taught to play football by Athletic - to don the famous red and white stripes.