Aston Villa plotting bold bid to rescue £30m star from Chelsea nightmare

Villa are reportedly eager to rescue Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from his nightmare start at Chelsea with an offer being prepared for the January transfer window.

Dewsbury-Hall only joined the Blues in the summer but he’s struggled for game time, reduced to merely 582 minutes across all competitions. The 26-year-old has made just three Premier League appearances for Chelsea and those were all late on in matches as a substitute.

It hasn’t quite been the experience the midfielder would’ve expected, especially with his former Leicester City colleague Enzo Maresca now in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. Dewsbury-Hall was Leicester’s star man in their promotion-winning campaign as he contributed 12 goals and 14 assists in 44 Championship appearances, but he’s had to warm the bench for the past three months.

TheHardTackle reports Villa have been watching Dewsbury-Hall’s situation and are weighing up a January approach. It’s claimed Emery wants to sign the midfielder on an initial six-month loan deal with an option to buy, bolstering his options in the middle of the park.

Chelsea are said to value their summer signing at €35 million (£29 million) plus bonuses but Villa believe a deal can be struck for a total package of €22 million (£18.2 million). The Blues don’t want to make a loss on a player they’ve only just acquired, especially as they see a use for him in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

It all could’ve turned out very differently for Dewsbury-Hall had Leicester not been under such pressure to sell. The Foxes had to raise funds to avoid significant punishment from the Premier League as they were on track to breach the profit and sustainability regulations.

The high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion were close to signing the midfielder, too, but Chelsea’s late approach proved too tempting.