Aston Villa have made what has been labelled a “shock move” for Bristol City defender Adam Webster, according to the Sun.
The report, written by Alan Nixon, claims that Bristol City have rejected the advances from Aston Villa so far, but claimed that the Villa board would be willing to pay £12million for the 24-year-old who signed from Ipswich for £3.6million last summer.
Dean Smith could need two new defenders, with Villa not wanting to pay too much for Tyrone Mings and Axel Tuanzebe back at Man United.
A good move for Aston Villa?
Webster’s value is sky rocketing. Bought by Ipswich for less than a million in 2016, he was sold for more than four times that price to Bristol City. Now they might get almost four times the amount they paid from Villa. So is Webster that good? He’s certainly got stamina, playing 47 games for Bristol City last season, missing just two league games. At 6’3″, he’s a commanding prescence in the box and scored three goals last season. He’s also been compared with Italian legend Paolo Maldidni, being christened ‘Webdini’ at Ashton Gate, and described as “resolute, cultured and technically-proficient” in defence. He was voted Bristol City’s Player of the Year by supporters. Given the season he’s had and the plaudits he’s won, a step up to the Premier League would seem like the next natural move in his career.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
£12million is a lot of money for a Championship centre-back. A lot could depend on Mings and whether Aston Villa can get him back either on loan again or on a permanent deal. Aston Villa certainly have money to spend and have already broken their transfer record with a move for striker Wesley Moraes this summer. The report claims Villa have been turned down but it didn’t make clear what the rejected bid was. You’d have to think £12million would be sorely tempting.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10