Emery has Chelsea DREAM as star says YES to Aston Villa move

Robin Bairner
Robin Bairner
  • 29 Jan 2025 11:30 GMT
  • 2 min read
Axel Disasi, Unai Emery, Aston Villa, Chelsea, 2024/25
© IMAGO

Aston Villa and Chelsea have been locked in transfer talks in recent days, with at least one deal set to be done between the clubs as Unai Emery attempts to close in on his dream target.

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Football transfer news reporter Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Emery’s “dream” transfer target is out-of-favour Chelsea star Joao Felix, and the Italian says that should the opportunity arise, the Spaniard will certainly try to sign his compatriot before the transfer deadline on 3 February.

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“Joao Felix remains the dream target for Emery – he’s obsessed with this one. If today, tomorrow or whenever Chelsea decide to open the door, Aston Villa will try to make it happen,” Romano explained on his YouTube channel.

“Those close to the player believe that Emery could finally be the right coach to trust him, to play him consistently and show his excellent qualities. Again, it’s not guaranteed. We need to see what happens with Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka. Many things are happening with outgoings at Chelsea.”

Joao Felix is a player Chelsea are considering offloading in January, with the Portuguese reduced to a bit-part role by Enzo Maresca following a €52 million summer transfer from Atletico Madrid.

READ MORE: Man Utd identify DREAM Chelsea target as Rashford replacement

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João Félix

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João Félix

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Chelsea

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Disasi agrees Aston Villa transfer

One deal between Chelsea and Aston Villa that does look likely to be concluded is one that will take centre-back Axel Disasi to Villa Park.

“Aston Villa and Chelsea have spent the day speaking. Axel Disasi has already said yes to Aston Villa and has spoken to Unai Emery, but let’s see if they can get an agreement with Chelsea,” Romano said.

Negotiations over Disasi’s transfer fee could prove tricky.

Chelsea will want to avoid taking a sizeable loss on the centre-back, who they signed from Monaco last season for €45 million. He has failed to justify this fee and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has dipped to €20.9m.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, are seeking to replace Diego Carlos, who recently signed for Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, with talks with Sevilla’s Loic Bade having apparently collapsed.

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