Aston Villa offered more than £12million for Bournemouth-bound defender Chris Mepham, according to a reliable journalist.
ESPN FC and Football Insider correspondent Pete O’Rourke claims Villa have out-bid the Premier League outfit in an attempt to win the race for the signature of the Brentford centre-back.
O’Rourke explained that the Midlands giants have fallen short in their pursuit and Mepham, 21, is set to spurn a Dean Smith reunion to join Bournemouth after they finalised terms.
Bournemouth are understood to have fended off interest from Aston Villa for Mepham. Villa offered a higher transfer fee and more lucrative personal terms, but Mepham chose to play under Eddie Howe who has been chasing his signature for over a year. #afcb #avfc #BrentfordFC
— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) January 22, 2019
OPINION
On one hand, the Villa faithful will be frustrated and disappointed at missing out on a player who could have instantly improved their struggling defence. On the other one hand, Villa fans should be hugely encouraged their club have tried to out-bid an established Premier League outfit for a player Smith clearly has a huge amount of time for. That demonstrates the Midlands big hitters are willing to go above and beyond to back their manager’s judgement in the transfer market. The reliable O’Rourke, who is a transfer expert, also explains that Villa offered more lucrative personal terms of Mepham, but their pursuit is set to fall short. Who can blame Mepham for wanting to advance his career by joining a manager in Eddie Howe who is an expert at nurturing youthful talent. At least, Villa supporters know their club is ambitious and willing to push the boat out for top quality players who can aid their promotion bid.