Aston Villa ‘consider’ audacious swap deal involving £50m Prem star after swoop for Arsenal target

According to reports, Aston Villa are ‘considering’ a move for Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, who is also being targeted by Brentford.

After Unai Emery masterminded Villa’s rapid rise up the Premier League table last term, they are not messing around in the transfer market ahead of their season in the Europa Conference League.

They have already signed Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans from Villarreal and Leicester City respectively and they are far from finished.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Aston Villa have leapfrogged Arsenal and Newcastle United in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby. 

Now The Telegraph are reporting that ‘Villa have made a £30 million bid for Leverkusen winger Diaby and are considering an offer for Nottingham Forest forward Johnson’.

The Villans are ‘confident’ that a ‘deal can be struck’ for Diaby as ‘negotiations remain ongoing’ with the Bundesliga outfit after their opening bid was turned down.

Johnson meanwhile is ’emerging as a genuine option’ for Aston Villa. The 22-year-old grabbed eight goals and three assists in the Premier League last season as Forest avoided relegation.

Brentford had a record £30m offer rejected for Johnson earlier this summer and The Telegraph are reporting that he is ‘rated at over £50m’.

READ MORE: Harry Kane to join Bayern and Man Utd to screw up striker pursuit: F365’s transfer window predictions

Despite this, Aston Villa ‘believe they could agree a fee at a lower price’ and defender Lucas Digne has been ‘mentioned during initial discussions between the two clubs, with Forest having an interest as they are seeking reinforcements in that position’. The report adds.

‘Digne is free to leave Villa after the January acquisition of Alex Moreno but, at this stage, his wages of

Despite this, Aston Villa ‘believe they could agree a fee at a lower price’ and defender Lucas Digne has been ‘mentioned during initial discussions between the two clubs, with Forest having an interest as they are seeking reinforcements in that position’. The report adds.

‘Digne is free to leave Villa after the January acquisition of Alex Moreno but, at this stage, his wages of around £120,000 a week are proving prohibitive. Forest would need Digne to agree to a wage cut to push the move through, or try and negotiate a loan deal for the season which is not an ideal scenario for either club.

‘Willian, the Fulham forward, is another Forest target and a decision could be made on his future in the next 24 hours. Willian has been offered a two-year deal by Forest which is 12 months more than the contract on the table at Fulham, but there is still a chance of him staying at Craven Cottage.

‘Forest are also in talks with PSV Eindhoven over defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, who is a long-term target for the club as reported last year. Sangare has a release clause of around £31.6 million at the Eredivisie club, and there is interest from clubs across Europe.

‘Dean Henderson, the Manchester United goalkeeper, is Forest’s No. 1 target in that position while Wolves’ Jose Sa has emerged as another option.’

around £120,000 a week are proving prohibitive. Forest would need Digne to agree to a wage cut to push the move through, or try and negotiate a loan deal for the season which is not an ideal scenario for either club.

‘Willian, the Fulham forward, is another Forest target and a decision could be made on his future in the next 24 hours. Willian has been offered a two-year deal by Forest which is 12 months more than the contract on the table at Fulham, but there is still a chance of him staying at Craven Cottage.

‘Forest are also in talks with PSV Eindhoven over defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, who is a long-term target for the club as reported last year. Sangare has a release clause of around £31.6 million at the Eredivisie club, and there is interest from clubs across Europe.

‘Dean Henderson, the Manchester United goalkeeper, is Forest’s No. 1 target in that position while Wolves’ Jose Sa has emerged as another option.’