Future of Aston Villa star enters crucial 24 hours with £40m deal close
Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey’s future is on course to be decided in the next 24 hours with Newcastle eager to complete a £40million transfer.
The clubs are close to agreeing a deal for the former England under-21 international, who will then decide whether he wants to make the move to Tyneside.
Ramsey is not the only player to close to a departure, with Villa also in talks with Roma over a loan exit for winger Leon Bailey. The latter is currently training away from the first-team, as negotiations continue over a deal which would include an obligation to buy.
Should the Ramsey deal go through, the 24-year-old would become Villa’s first major sale of the transfer window, potentially allowing Unai Emery more wriggle room in the final weeks of the market.
The sale of Ramsey, who joined Villa’s academy at the age of six, would be booked as pure profit.
Emery is a fan of the player and would be happy to keep him on board for the season ahead.
But with just two years remaining on his contract, talks over a new deal have failed to progress in recent months, with Villa not offering the kind of package wanted by Ramsey’s camp.
While West Ham showed interest earlier in the window, Newcastle are the first club to emerge as serious suitors, with Eddie Howe admiring Ramsey’s versatility.
The decision now largely rests with the player himself, who was due to hold talks with Villa’s hierarchy on Wednesday to discuss his options.
