{"id":608830,"date":"2022-01-26T04:17:47","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T09:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=608830"},"modified":"2022-01-26T04:17:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T09:17:47","slug":"aston-villa-transfer-news-rodrigo-bentancur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2022\/01\/26\/aston-villa-transfer-news-rodrigo-bentancur\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa Transfer News: Rodrigo Bentancur and Centre-Back Hopes"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the latest Aston Villa<\/a> transfer news, the club are looking at the possibilities of bringing in a new centre-back as well as seeking a deal for Juventus\u2019 defensive midfield player Rodrigo Bentancur with Steven Gerrard an admirer, according to The Athletic.<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest Aston Villa Transfer News<\/h2>\n

Two Priorities for Steven Gerrard<\/h3>\n

With the January transfer window edging nearer to its conclusion, it is the time when clubs start scrambling to get those last-minute deals over the line and Aston Villa have been showing their ambition to break into the upper reaches of the Premier League in the long term under Steven Gerrard. Former Liverpool<\/a> teammate Philippe Coutinho has joined on loan from Barcelona<\/a> and now Gerrard wants both a centre-back and defensive midfielder to add to his squad.<\/p>\n

Rodrigo Bentancur<\/h3>\n

One name linked with the Midlands club has been Juventus<\/a> player Bentancur but there is said to be complexities surrounding that deal and it may be too tricky to get over the line with so little time remaining. The Uruguayan is 24 years of age and already has an impressive 45 caps to his name. He is said to be Villa\u2019s top transfer target.<\/p>\n

However, the issues are around a large sell-on clause in his contract and this is making selling the player of little value to Juventus as 50% of any fee would go to Boca Juniors.<\/p>\n

Villa scouts watched Bentancur play against AC Milan <\/a>on January 23 and whilst the game ended in a goalless draw, he was an impressive performer out of very few on the day,<\/p>\n

Another player being looked at, according to The Athletic, is Yves Bissouma, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion.<\/a> However, amid all the interest, the south coast club have already placed a huge \u00a340 million price tag on his head which will likely turn many suitors away at this stage.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>