Aston Villa will need to move before the World Cup to sign goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas from Borussia Monchengladbach via his release clause.
BILD Rheinland report that the 28-year-old can be signed for a fixed fee this summer, but only in a certain time frame.
Aston Villa need to move quickly
The newspaper explains that Moritz Nicolas was one of the few bright spots in a mixed season for the German side, keeping 13 clean sheets in 34 Bundesliga games.
His top performances have attracted interest, with reports in England stating that Premier League clubs are keen. Aston Villa are believed to be one of them.
According to BILD’s information, Nicolas can be signed for €10m this summer. That’s thanks to a release clause in his current contract, which runs until 2029. But the release clause is time limited. It only runs until June.
Interested parties would have to make their move before the end of the World Cup. That could be a problem for Aston Villa and other English clubs. BILD point out that English clubs tend to prefer to move late in the summer transfer window.
The belief, therefore, is that a saga could develop around Nicolas and run throughout the summer.
Gladbach welcome interest
Gladbach, for their part, aren’t ruling out a sale. They’ve already signed Daniel Batz from Mainz. He’s the back up plan in case Moritz Nicolas should end up departing.
Indeed, they would welcome a sale. The millions generated from it would allow Gladbach’s sporting director, Rouven Schröder), to search for a new number one goalkeeper without pressure.
The question is whether Aston Villa, or anyone else from England, move before the World Cup. That is unlikely, to say the least. Summer tournaments tend to delay transfer business, even if it does mean sacrificing a release clause in the process.
That’s something Gladbach appear to be waiting for with Moritz Nicolas too. Although, they would clearly welcome a sale.
