Aston Villa could green-light an exit for one ‘unhappy’ player this summer in a potential swap deal, according to a new report.
On the field, Villa scraped past struggling Brighton 1-0 on Wednesday evening courtesy of Jack Hinshelwood’s late own-goal.
Tyrone Mings’ 86th-minute header cannoned off unfortunate defender Hinshelwood into Bart Verbruggen’s net, handing Villa a precious three points which dragged them back closer to Arsenal in the title race.
However, realistically consolidating a top-four position is Unai Emery‘s primary ambition right now.
The scrappy victory ended Villa’s mini-slump following Saturday’s frustrating 1-1 Bournemouth draw, yet failed to disguise attacking deficiencies plaguing Emery’s injury-ravaged squad.
Villa registered just one shot on target from 15 attempts across 90 laboured minutes.
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Morgan Rogers forced Verbruggen into the contest’s opening save following Jadon Sancho’s slick pass, whilst Emi Buendia narrowly missed on the stroke of half-time with sections of Villa Park mistakenly believing the ball nestled in.
Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu rattled the crossbar spectacularly after the interval, whilst James Milner, equalling Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance record with his 653rd outing, spurned golden opportunities to mark his milestone with a goal.
The unconvincing performance highlighted Villa’s ongoing struggles replacing missing stars including John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara.
Douglas Luiz’s January loan return from Juventus provided temporary relief, with the Brazilian starting every Premier League fixture since arriving, yet complications could emerge regarding his permanent signing.
However, according to reports out of Italy, the Midlands side could have a solution if they wish to sign Luiz permanently.
Ian Maatsen could leave Aston Villa in Juventus swap deal
Calciomercato.it journalist Giorgio Musso, left-back Ian Maatsen isn’t happy about his Villa playing time despite accumulating over 1,000 Premier League minutes this campaign.
The 23-year-old reportedly feels marginalised by Emery and ‘unhappy’ with his role in the squad, starting fewer than half Villa’s fixtures across all competitions.
The Spanish tactician doesn’t consider Maatsen indispensable, potentially opening the door to a summer departure.
Juventus have identified Maatsen as Andrea Cambiaso’s potential replacement following the Italian’s disappointing performances under Luciano Spalletti.
The Bianconeri view Villa’s dissatisfied defender as the perfect solution to address their left-sided defensive concerns whilst simultaneously facilitating Luiz’s permanent return to Birmingham.
Villa hold a £22 million option to buy Luiz outright, matching Maatsen’s estimated value according to this report.
This creates potential swap deal scenarios benefiting both clubs financially whilst fixing their respective squad problems.
Emery reportedly rates Luiz’s qualities highly enough to approve keeping him permanently, especially given the midfielder’s reliable displays easing Villa’s midfield injury nightmare.
However, major risks surround Luiz’s permanent signature.
His fitness record since joining Juventus raises massive red flags, multiple muscle injuries restricted his availability at both Turin and earlier during his Nottingham Forest loan spell.
Villa must carefully consider these injury worries before splashing serious cash, especially if sacrificing Maatsen’s versatility and technical quality.
The ‘exceptional‘ defender can be very useful on his day, and with Lucas Digne in the twilight phase of his career, Villa also need to think long-term about the left-back slot.
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