Aston Villa target transfer for England ace as injury crisis hits Unai Emery’s midfield

Aston Villa don’t have much room for manoeuvre in the January transfer window but a series of injuries means they no longer have any choice.

Villa lost midfielder Boubacar Kamara to a knee injury that’s likely to rule him out for the rest of the season. While Amadou Onana is nearing a return after an injury of his own, the additional injury sustained by captain John McGinn highlights just how fragile a squad can be even in positions where it appears well-stocked.

Unai Emery has Youri Tielemans, Lamare Bogarde and George Hemmings all available for Thursday’s Europa League match at Fenerbahçe but Ross Barkley is also on the treatment list. With aims as lofty as Villa’s for the 2025-26 season, it’s clear that Emery needs a midfielder this month.

Villa in the market for a midfielder after failed Conor Gallagher bid

With Kamara out and previous transfer target Conor Gallagher now at Tottenham Hotspur and off the table, Villa’s attentions have reportedly turned from Spain to Italy and Serie A midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Villa’s interest in the England international, 29, has been reported by multiple sources and confirmed by some reliable names including John Percy and Jacob Tanswell at The Athletic.

“Aston Villa are considering a loan move for AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek after a serious injury to Boubacar Kamara,” reported Tanswell.

“Villa have other options, but Loftus-Cheek’s Premier League experience, plus his natural physicality, suggests he would not need time to settle back in England.”

The former Chelsea midfielder certainly has the qualities to be a fine addition to Villa’s core in the absence of Kamara. He’s playing regularly for Milan, where he has at times been genuinely excellent, but could certainly be said to be in need of more playing time in the months before a World Cup.

Will Villa sign a striker too?

The departure of Donyell Malen on a loan with an obligation to buy left Villa with another hole, one that Emery and president of football operations Roberto Olabe seemingly want to fill with a more straightforward competitor for Ollie Watkins at centre-forward.

Former Villa loanee Tammy Abraham is reportedly closing in on a return but Villa have also been credited with an interest in an alternative number nine.

“Aston Villa have expressed an interest in Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, with Palace weighing up a move in the opposite direction for Evann Guessand, who the south London club were pursuing last summer,” according to David Ornstein.

Mateta is an international striker of proven Premier League quality and has apparently told Palace that he wants to leave.

The Eagles are mired in chaos, with manager Oliver Glasner repeatedly complaining of a lack of board support and announcing that he will not be staying beyond the summer. Captain Marc Guéhi was sold to Manchester City shortly after Palace’s FA Cup loss to sixth-tier Macclesfield Town and the club’s January seems to be going from bad to worse.

I’m not totally convinced Villa have anything to do with it, however. Mateta would be a serious bit of business for a club in need of a striker and not a cheap one. If you told me his name was being discussed as a way to persuade Beşiktaş that Abraham is just one of Villa’s options, I really wouldn’t be surprised.

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