Aston Villa have eceived encouragement in their ongoing pursuit of UD Almería’s Dion Lopy.
Four days ago, Sport Witness covered claims from Spain that Aston Villa tabled €17m bid for Lopy.
The Villans need to raise their offer slightly as the Segunda División side have set a €20m price.
He joined the Spanish club from Stade Reims in August 2023 for a reported fee of €6.5m, when the former were in the La Liga.
Almería, who have been in the second division for the last two years, will continue next season as well.
Why Aston Villa are keen
The defensive midfielder’s performances for UD Almería have made him one of their most sought-after players.
That’s according to Friday’s edition of La Voz de Almería, a newspaper local to the Spanish club, who cover the latest on Aston Villa.
The Villans see the Senegal international as an ‘ideal fit’ for their midfield. Unai Emery believes his physicality, technical profile and competitive spirit would suit the Premier League.
Aston Villa have already made a €17m bid while Almería are standing firm with the €20m price.
Despite this, there’s a ‘real possibility’ for the Senegalese to change clubs this summer.
The operation to take the player to Villa Park is still in early stages and could accelerate ‘once the transfer market reaches its peak’.
Faced with the possibility of losing Dion Lopy, Almería want to avoid any risks. They have already identified Real Zaragoza’s Yussif Saidu as his potential successor.
The newspaper state: ‘Almería is playing both sides: negotiating from a position of strength for one of its key players while simultaneously anticipating the future. The Senegalese player’s transfer could define the summer. The club is already clear that its midfield will not be left unprotected.’
It suggests the two clubs could find a compromise over the price and Lopy could pack his bags to join the Europa League winners.
This should certainly come as an encouragement for Aston Villa, who have already made an offer.
Stats, contract, value and agent info
Dion Lopy played 1,991 minutes from 28 matches this season. His contract is until 2029 and has a value of €4m as per Transfermarkt.
British agency CAA Stellar are taking care of the Senegalese’s interest and future.
