Aston Villa open to selling star winger in the summer transfer window: reports
Aston Villa are reportedly open to selling winger Leon Bailey amid summer transfer window interest from Besiktas.
The Jamaican international is among the players Villa might consider selling in order to gain some headroom when it comes to complying with Premier League and UEFA rules.
Villa need to balance the books in the context of PSR and squad cost ratio restrictions and the imminent arrival of Nice forward Evann Guessand is expected to further limit Bailey’s playing opportunities.
The former Bayer Leverkusen winger is worth £25 million according to his Transfermarkt market value and his contract has two years left, putting him in a transfer sweet spot.
“Besiktas have enquired about the possibility of signing Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey this summer,” reports Football Today.
“Villa are open to cashing in on the former Bayer Leverkusen star as manager Unai Emery no longer considers him in his plans.”
If Bailey were to move to Besiktas he would link up with former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as well as ex-Villa striker Tammy Abraham, who joined the Istanbul club on loan from Roma last month.
Mixed fortunes at Villa
Since signing for Villa in the summer of 2021, Bailey has made 144 appearances with 22 goals and 24 assists in all competitions. He hasn’t been able to maintain his consistency for the entirety of his time at Villa but has made a big impact overall.
In his first two seasons, Bailey played 54 matches but only managed seven goals and six assists while working through various injury problems.
Bailey’s form was elevated by the arrival of Unai Emery as manager. He scored in Emery’s first match in charge, a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Villa Park.
In 2023/24, Bailey produced his best season yet, racking up 14 goals and the same number of assists as Villa reached the semi-final of the Conference League and qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Bailey’s 2024/25 didn’t hit the same heights and the emergence of Morgan Rogers restricted his minutes. With Guessand on the way, Bailey is understood to be considered expendable despite extensive playing time in pre-season friendlies.
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