Aston Villa

Aston Villa: Alex Crook discusses Leon Bailey links

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TalkSport insider Alex Crook has provided an update on Aston Villa and their moves within the summer transfer window.

Villa have certainly shown some ambition when it comes to the transfer window, with the club-record signing of Emiliano Buendía already completed, they’ve also shown they are willing to splash the cash by offering £30m to Arsenal for the services of Emile Smith Rowe.

And it looks as if they are set to flex their financial muscles yet again, as speaking to TalkSport, Crook claimed that Villa were closing in on sealing the transfer of Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, with Crook noting that this move could be being made with other motives in mind:

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“They’re closing in on another wide man, Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen. He scored 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen last season. That’s an outstanding record; he can play on either side of the attack.

“And Aston Villa are confident of getting this deal done, they’ve had assurances from the player’s camp that he would be interested in the move, despite Everton also being keen on his signature. £30m, again, is the fee that’s being touted.

“I guess the big question here is, what does it mean for Jack Grealish? Is this another sign, maybe that Jack Grealish, is on his way to Manchester City?”

TIF Thoughts on Alex Crook’s comments about Leon Bailey, Jack Grealish and Aston Villa…

Will Jack Grealish still be an Aston Villa player at the end of the window?

Yes

Yes

No

No

It certainly is a logical conclusion for Crook to leap to based on previous reports about Grealish’s future. And given how important he is to Dean Smith’s side, if they were to let him go, they would need all the help they can get to try and make up for what he’d be taking with him.

But even if they don’t end up selling Grealish, assuming they can afford to bring in all of these players, then all this is doing is adding more creative firepower to a team that has already done some incredible work under Smith.

So if they can make it work, both tactically and financially, then Villa really should be commended for doing their best to take big steps forward as a club. And with all the attacking flair that could be at their disposal, they should be an entertaining team to watch next year.

In other news: ‘They control the situation, but…’ – Ex-PL chairman drops Jack Grealish claim at AVFC

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Freelance sports journalist & broadcaster.