Deadline Day: Aston Villa miss out on Bentancur, done with January signings

Aston Villa won’t make a Deadline Day signing are done with incoming business until the summer.

Reports by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett on Friday afternoon suggested Villa were no longer pursuing January transfer window deals and would instead reignite their search for a defensive midfielder in the summer window.

The club had interest in Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, but a deal was never agreed upon. On Monday, Bentancur was unveiled as a Tottenham Hotspur player, arriving on a permanent deal from Serie A’s Juventus.

Villa were also interested in signing Brighton’s Yves Bissouma, who has one and half years left on his current contract. Brighton’s asking price for the Malian’s services was in the £45 million range, which inevitably put Villa off.

Some around the club believe the defensive midfielder could potentially be had for less in the summer.

The club was busy early on in the window, securing deals for Phillipe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, and Robin Olsen. Calum Chambers joined from Arsenal late last week.

Villa are expected to complete a number of outgoing loan deals before Friday night’s deadline, though. Matt Targett appears set to join Newcastle on a short loan, and keeper Jed Steer is rumored to join Luton Town of the Championship.

Kaine Kesler Hayden will spend the rest of the 2021/22 campaign with League One MK Dons.