Aston Villa are reportedly interested in a move for Besiktas midfielder Gedson Fernandes.
What’s the latest news on Villa and Fernandes?
Unai Emery has transformed Villa since arriving at the club back in November and has the club pushing for European football after a fine run of form in the Premier League.
The Spaniard has only made two signings in Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran but already appears to be planning for his first full season in charge at Villa Park. Christian Purslow is expecting a busy summer, with journalist Ashley Preece stating that a new forward is top of the transfer wishlist, while the defence will also be bolstered.
It looks as if a new midfielder is also on the agenda over the coming months, with links emerging to Fernandes in the last 48 hours.
Turkish outlet Fanatik shared a transfer update regarding Fernandes and a number of other Besiktas players. When it came to the midfielder, they claimed that Villa, along with Premier League rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace are interested in securing his services this summer alongside Italian clubs Roma and Lazio.
Who is Gedson Fernandes?
Fernandes is 24 years of age and is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in an advanced role or on the right-hand side. Sponsored by Nike, the Portugal international was previously on the books of Benfica where he had a £102m release clause and was attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United back in 2019.
His Transfermarkt valuation stood at €22m (£19m) then, but his career has suffered a decline, with that figure falling to €6.5m (£5.7m) prior to joining Besiktas last summer.
Fernandes has been a regular during the current campaign for Besiktas, making 29 appearances in all competitions. As per WhoScored, Fernandes has attempted more dribbles per game than any player and has averaged a match rating of 6.98/10 this season, a better score than any Villa performer, showing that he may be finding his feet once more.
He has previous experience in the Premier League after spending time on loan with Tottenham, coming up against Villa and winning his only meeting at Villa Park.
It looks as if his displays in recent months have caught the eye of those at Villa Park, so a summer swoop could well be one to keep an eye on over the coming months as Emery looks to take the club to the next level.