Aston Villa’s pursuit of manager Bruno Lage is off, according to reports from the Portuguese media.
Newspaper O Jogo claims to have learned that the coach was really close to taking charge of the Premier League side, but the negotiations failed.
The outlet doesn’t seem to know the exact reason why the club and manager didn’t reach an agreement, and points out that Aston Villa fans have been demanding Dean Smith stays at the club.
O Jogo highlights that negotiations for Bruno Lage came to an end on the same day sporting director Jesús García Pitarch was sacked.
It’s now been one month since Bruno Lage was sacked by Benfica, and there was big expectation from the Eagles that the manager could quickly make a move to the Premier League.
The club are still paying Bruno Lage’s salary until he gets a new job that can pay him the same or even more than what he used to make in Lisbon. According to O Jogo, Benfica are paying him €2m net per season in a contract which runs until 2024.
