Aston Villa may have to brace themselves for a bid from a former manager target, with Paulo Fonseca having recently taken over at AC Milan.
Fonseca was has appointed as manager of the Italian giants following a successful spell in charge of a Lille side that Aston Villa beat in the Europa Conference League quarter final last season.
Things could have been very different for both the Portuguese manager and the Midlands club, with Fonseca sounded out by owners NSWE about taking the manager’s job at Villa Park first in 2018 when Dean Smith was appointed and again in 2021 when Steven Gerrard was favoured.
Given Fonseca is now set to take on the biggest job of his career and Villa are now in the Champions League after the miraculous work done by Unai Emery, you could say it all worked out in the end.
Now, reports from Italy suggest Fonseca is keen on a move for a Villa player as he looks to build his Milan squad in his image.
Paulo Fonseca wants Matty Cash at AC Milan
Despite Villa’s Champions League qualification, the club find themselves in a precarious position financially.
With Premier League profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) the club are having to perform a balancing act with their business this summer to avoid breaching the rules and a possible points deduction.
With that in mind, offers will be considered for a number of players this summer, with Villa needing cash quickly to comply with spending rules before they can invest in their squad.
Douglas Luiz is the most likely high profile departure, but Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest Milan are exploring the possibility of signing Matty Cash in their bid to bring in a new right-back.
The report explains that Milan are likely to look to negotiate a reduction in Villa’s £21 million asking price and that the Italian club are also considering Tottenham Hotspur’s Emerson Royal.
Cash could be tempted by AC Milan move
Cash has been a mainstay in the Villa team since signing in 2020 and has been a part of the side that have gone from relegation candidates to the Champions League.
The Poland international’s form nosedived towards the end of last season, though, and the club have been strongly linked with a move for Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries to replace the 26-year-old.
Whilst Cash may want to complete his Villa journey by representing the club in the Champions league, he could be tempted to make the move to Italy if he feels his role could be reduced at Villa.
At Milan he would still get his first taste of Champions League football after the Rossoneri finished second to Inter last season.
He would also get the opportunity to work under a top manager in Fonseca, who ‘schooled’ Emery tactically in the Europa Conference League quarter-final despite defeat on penalties.
French journalist Julien Laurens posted on ‘X’ in the wake of the game: ‘Lille can be so proud! they played so well over the two legs and came so close to knock out the fourth best team in the Premier League.
Hard to take but so impressed by them and how Paulo Fonseca schooled Unai Emery tactically tonight again.’
With Villa needing to raise funds quickly, Milan needing a right-back and Cash set to see his role reduced under Emery, this move could make sense for all parties.
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