Aston Villa pushing to sign Lutsharel Geertruida

According to Matt Meher, The Express and Star, Aston Villa are pushing to sign Feyenoord and Netherlands defender Lutsharel Geertruida.

It had been reported by Sky Sports weeks ago that Villa were in contact with the Dutch club and had started talks over a possible transfer for the defender but talks went quiet following the news that Diego Carlos’s move to Fulham had collapsed. However, the injury sustained by Matty Cash during Saturday’s defeat to Arsenal means Villa are very short in defence, particularly at right-back, and therefore the club seem to be rushing to complete a deal for the Feyenoord captain before the transfer deadline at the end of this week.

Geertruida played the full ninety minutes of Feyenoord’s game against Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday and many fans thought that would spell an end to the possibility of a transfer to Villa Park. With a few days remaining of this summer’s transfer window it is possible for Villa to secure a deal but they will need to be quick and will likely need to meet the £30 million valuation that the Dutch club have set for the 24-year-old.

Geertruida has almost a dozen international caps to his name and many believe that he has the profile that fits an Unai Emery system. Geertruida is a versatile defender able to play at both right-back and centre-back who is a strong one-on-one defender and good in the air. He is also physically strong and possesses great pace.

Should a deal for the defender not be reached by the end of the window then Villa will be left with just one recognised right-back in the young and highly inexperienced Serbian Kosta Ndeljkovic. The 18-year-old replaced Matty Cash in the opening stage of the game against Arsenal and despite showing good signs, it is clear Villa will need more depth in that position. Matty Cash is set for a spell on the injury table for at least the next four weeks and with UEFA Champions League games kicking off in three weeks time this is an issue that Villa fans will want to see get fixed this week.

UTV