Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was desperate to sign a former Fulham star in January, going as far as to pressure the player himself, according to a new report.
Villa’s FA Cup exit on Saturday leaves them facing a critical week with focus turning entirely towards their Premier League top four fight and Saturday’s massive clash against Leeds United at Villa Park.
Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle ended their cup hopes at the fourth-round stage following a chaotic afternoon plagued by controversial refereeing decisions.
Tammy Abraham’s early opener looked set to launch a potential run before Marco Bizot’s first-half red card completely changed everything.
The goalkeeper saw red just before half-time after wiping out Jacob Murphy near the halfway line, leaving Villa down to ten men for the entire second period.
Sandro Tonali capitalised with a quickfire double whilst Nick Woltemade’s late strike sealed Villa’s miserable afternoon despite Abraham scoring his first goal for the club since 2019.
Emery watched his side battle bravely despite the disadvantage but couldn’t prevent elimination.
The defeat leaves Villa with Champions League qualification and Europa League glory to chase across the season’s remaining months.
Saturday’s home game against relegation-threatened Leeds carries enormous significance. Villa need to bounce back immediately following the weekend’s disappointment, and they’ll be doing it without key men.
Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans remain out injured, prompting Emery to move for ex-star Douglas Luiz in the January transfer window.
The Brazilian has started every game for Villa since re-joining the club and terminating his loan at Nottingham Forest from Juventus, but he wasn’t their sole top midfield target last month.
Indeed, Villa held some talks over a deal for ex-Chelsea, Fulham and Crystal Palace midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well.
Unai Emery put ‘intense pressure on Loftus-Cheek to join Aston Villa
AC Milan have opened contract extension talks with the English midfielder, whose current deal expires in 2027.
Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri personally intervened in January to block Loftus-Cheek’s potential departure after Villa came calling alongside Lazio.
Allegri convinced Milan’s hierarchy against selling the 28-year-old despite receiving substantial interest throughout the winter window.
His judgment proved spot-on with Loftus-Cheek scoring vital goals against Bologna and Pisa recently, helping Milan chase down Serie A leaders Inter whilst firming up their Champions League return.
Loftus-Cheek rejected Villa’s advances despite Emery’s very strong interest in bringing him to the Midlands, with the Spaniard said to have put ‘intense pressure’ on the player to join, according to Tuttosport.
The former Chelsea man also turned down approaches from Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri and a lucrative three-year Saudi Arabian proposal worth around £10 million a year.
Money clearly doesn’t motivate Loftus-Cheek, who chose to earn significantly less at Milan rather than accept huge wages elsewhere.
His priority seemingly remains playing Champions League football at an elite European club rather than simply chasing financial rewards.
Milan are now working towards extending his contract potentially through 2030, with negotiations progressing positively since late January.
The Rossoneri appear confident Loftus-Cheek wants to remain in Italy long-term, while Villa are left to wonder what might have been.
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