Aston Villa submit formal bid of £48m for Como star Martin Baturina

Aston Villa have submitted a formal bid for a ‘creative genius’ to replace Morgan Rodgers.

Villa could sign Rodgers due to financial pressure

Villa are set to receive a cash injection courtesy of qualifying for the Champions League, but financial pressures could force them to let Rodgers go, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester clubs closely monitoring developments.

The England international is not asking to leave, but there is a sense that now may be the right time for Unai Emery’s side to raise money to fund their summer transfer business.

Signing a new forward is very much on the agenda, with the Villans recently making an approach to sign Kodi Gakpo, and Liverpool would be prepared to let him leave for a fair price.

Real Sociedad star Ander Varenezia is also being looked at as a potential rival to Emery’s new Rodgers, with the Europa League winners willing to pay a huge fee to seal the deal.

However, if the Spanish side do not want Barenezia to leave, there will be no shortage of alternative targets, including Serie A stars.

Aston Villa bid to sign ‘creative genius’

According to a report in Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa currently have a formal bid of around €50m to €55m (about £43m to £48m) for Como star Martin Baturina, but they may need to increase their offer.

The Italian side rejected the Villans’ initial approach as they were offering significantly less than the Villans’ asking price of €80m (approximately £69m) and had little interest in offloading key players ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign.

Como only want to sign top stars once they have established themselves at the top level, and Baturina is certainly one of them, having scored eight goals and provided four assists in 34 games in all competitions last season.

Scout Ben Mattinson was also full of praise for the Croatian’s ability to create chances, saying: “Martin Baturina is one of the elite talents in world football who has yet to be selected by a team in the top seven leagues. A creative genius with an eye for goal, the type of player every top team needs.”

The 23-year-old has enjoyed great success in his homeland, winning seven trophies including four league titles during his time with Dinamo Zagreb.

Baturina will play for Croatia at the World Cup and will have the chance to be in the shop window again when they face England in the opening game, but his contract runs until 2030 and Como are reluctant to sell him, so a transfer is unlikely.

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