Fabrizio Romano has had his say on the concerning rumours that have emerged regarding West McKennie’s move to Aston Villa.
Unai Emery‘s side have been busier than most clubs in the Premier League in recent days.
Douglas Luiz has agreed personal terms to join Juventus, but for the deal to go through, there are other factors that need to be resolved.
Juve have offered cash plus Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior in the deal to sign Luiz, and Villa are happy with the terms.
However, a worrying update emerged on Monday that made people believe the deal could be in trouble.
Romano has now shared what’s actually happening.
Weston McKennie to Aston Villa is ‘absolutely on’ despite one ‘problem’
The swap deal between Aston Villa and Juventus looked like it was about to be finalised, but concerning reports emerged from Italy on Monday.
Gianluca Di Marzio claimed that the mega-deal deal between Villa and the Old Lady is ‘blocked’ because there’s no agreement between McKennie and Emery’s side on personal terms.
The report claimed that the stalemate between the two parties is ‘blocking the entire negotiation’ – it was described as a ‘clear obstacle’.
That has led to rumours that the deal could collapse in the coming days, but Romano has now shared a more positive update for fans of both Aston Villa and Juventus.
The journalist has revealed that the problem isn’t between McKennie and Aston Villa – the terms between those two parties have been agreed.
However, the USMNT international is yet to reach on agreement with Juventus regarding his exit.
That is holding up the deal, but Romano has confirmed that nothing has collapsed and the transfer is still ‘absolutely on’ – all parties are working to resolve the situation.
He said on Playback: “The problem, from what I am told, is not between McKennie and Aston Villa on the contract. The problem is between McKennie and Juventus on the exit conditions.
“When you leave a club and your contract and your salary is different to what you are going to get at your new club, you need to agree on the kind of compensation. There are some things to clarify between Juventus and McKennie to make this deal happen.
“All parties keep trying to find solutions, so Juventus and Aston Villa are talking to find the best solution.
“The deal has not collapsed, remains absolutely on, but they need to agree on this point on Weston McKennie.”
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Weston McKennie’s stats in 2023/24 are impressive
McKennie will not be a like-for-like replacement for Luiz, but he is still a very good player.
The USA international is a central midfielder by trade, but he has filled in on the right flank for Juventus over the years as well.
That will give Emery multiple options next season, and McKennie’s stats in the 2023/24 campaign are really encouraging if you’re an Aston Villa fan.
In 34 games for Juventus in the Serie A, McKennie averaged just under 45 touches per game and maintained 81 per cent passing accuracy, while also registering 1.2 key passes every 90 minutes.
McKennie also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.8 clearances and an impressive 3.4 ball recoveries per game in the 2023/24 campaign (SofaScore).
We expect those numbers to go up if he starts playing under Emery at Aston Villa next season.