After turning down Arsenal’s shock late bid to sign Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa are now reportedly facing a fresh fight to keep hold of another one of Unai Emery’s top talents.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans came out of the January transfer window on the winning side. Despite losing Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in a big-money move, Emery was able to welcome as many as five fresh faces in the form of Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia, Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi and Marco Asensio.
Rashford and Asensio are particularly exciting additions given their pedigree at the top of European football and represent just how far Aston Villa have come in recent years. From relegation troubles, those in the Midlands have just won the race to sign a serial Champions League winner in Asensio.
On the exit front, things could have been far worse for the Villans too following Arsenal’s reported bid to sign Watkins, which was turned down and left those at Villa Park furious late in the window.
That fury doesn’t seem to have scared the Gunners off, however. According to Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are now plotting a move to sign Jacob Ramsey this summer to hand Aston Villa a fresh battle to keep hold of a key man.
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Whilst injuries have held the midfielder back at times, he remains a talented academy graduate and someone that Villa should look to keep, especially amid interest from a top four rival and a club they weren’t best pleased with not so long ago.
“Terrific” Ramsey still important at Aston Villa
Still just 23 years old, early injury concerns throughout his career should not stand in the way of Ramsey’s clear talent. After missing almost the entirety of December, the academy graduate has bounced back and even broke his goalscoring drought in a recent draw against West Ham United. Now, if he can remain fit, Ramsey could become a key man under Emery as the fixtures come thick and fast.
Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that Premier League legend Steven Gerrard was full of praise for Ramsey, with the former Villa manager telling reporters in 2022: “He’s not following in anyone’s footsteps. Jacob Ramsey is Jacob Ramsey. He will be a terrific player. It won’t be long before the whole country is watching him I’m sure. He is right up there, let me tell you.”
It’s a level that the 23-year-old will want to get back to and should want to do so at his boyhood club rather than at Premier League rivals Arsenal. Whether those in the Midlands can win another battle against the Gunners on the transfer front remains to be seen, but it certainly looks likely to be an interesting summer window.