Aston Villa make £4m swoop for teenage defensive star
Villa are closing in on the signing of teenage defender Modou Keba Cisse from Austrian club LASK.
The 19-year-old is poised to join for a fee of around £4million, with the expectation he will then be loaned back out to LASK for the coming season.
Cisse made 13 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and is viewed as an exciting talent for the future.
Born in Senegal, he came through the ranks at Spanish club Real Avila before joining LASK last summer.
His expected signing continues Villa’s strategy of targeting young players with big potential.
Turkish defender Yasin Ozcan, who is also aged 19, made his first appearance for the club in Wednesday’s 1-0 friendly defeat at Walsall after arriving in a £6m deal from Kasimpasa.
Villa’s first signing of the summer, meanwhile, was another 19-year-old in the shape of forward Zepiqueno Redmond.
The Netherlands youth international, who played in the Champions League for Feyenoord last season, joined on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with the Dutch giants.
Redmond is due to report to Bodymoor Heath later this month having played deep into June at the European under-19s Championships.
Villa continue their pre-season in Germany on Saturday afternoon with a friendly at Hansa Rostock.
