Aston Villa fight to beat Newcastle to England international transfer

Aston Villa are hoping to beat Newcastle to the signing of Fikayo Tomori as speculation continues to grow over the defender’s future at Milan.

Villa are in the market for a centre-back after agreeing to sell Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce, with negotiations over Loic Bade believed to have stalled due to a failure to agree terms with both the player and Sevilla.

According to Football Insider, Villa have now turned their attention to Tomori as Unai Emery aims to add pace to his backline as his side push to qualify for the Champions League once again.

READ MORE: Premier League January transfers 2025: All the Done Deals

Tomori has been linked with an exit from Milan this month after struggling for minutes in the first half of the season, however new manager Sergio Conceicao has reintegrated the England international back into the team.

Milan have not yet made a decision over Tomori’s future, having also seen Juventus make an approach for the 27-year-old before they agreed to sign Chelsea defender Renato Veiga on loan.

Villa and Newcastle are monitoring the situation, which could become clearer towards the end of the month, although a deal is ‘not expected to be imminent’ as things stand.

Tomori may stay at Milan after Conceicao arrival

Tomori had only featured in two minutes of league action since the start of November under Paulo Fonseca but the arrival of Conceicao has seen the centre-back return to being a starter.

The resurgence in Tomori’s stock has caused doubts over whether he will leave Milan this month, with Juve also looking elsewhere after failing to agree terms over a move.

A return to the Premier League is believed to be a consideration for Tomori, with Newcastle also looking for a long-term, pacy addition to their backline.

Tomori is also hoping to get back into the England squad after the appointment of former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, having received the last of his five caps in 2023.