‘Prefers Villa’ – Aston Villa Now Moving For Newcastle United Target | OneFootball

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Aston Villa have made a firm move to sign Newcastle United target Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan and have an advantage over the Magpies due to the player’s preference.

Newcastle want reinforcements, with a centre-back having been on the agenda as part of their rebuild, and Tomori is a player they have been showing keen interest in.

Tomori joined AC Milan initially on loan in the winter of 2021 and in the following summer made his move to the Italian giants permanent.

He has flourished at the San Siro, playing on a regular basis, but his time there appears close to its natural end.

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Tomori has entered the final year of his contract with AC Milan and he is not in Ruben Amorim’s plans for the future.

He has been garnering interest from Premier League outfits Coventry City and Newcastle since the early days of the window, with the Magpies suggested recently to have upped their interest in Tomori.

Now though it appears Tomori is unlikely to be going to St James’ Park.

Aston Villa are set to lose Ezri Konsa, as they have agreed a deal with Arsenal and Unai Emery’s side are keen to bring in a centre-back before the end of the window.

Newcastle lost out to Aston Villa for Johan Manzambi earlier in the transfer window and could well miss another target to the same side.

Tomori is open to a summer exit and according to Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport, Aston Villa have now opened talks to sign him.

The centre-back ‘prefers Villa to other destinations’, however Aston Villa also have other centre-back targets, making it not certain that Tomori will move to Villa Park.

It is suggested AC Milan will be looking for €10m to €15m to let the defender move on, a fee well within reach of his Premier League suitors.

It remains to be seen whether Newcastle will step up their interest in the defender and go in with an offer to try to get ahead of Villa in the race for Tomori in the upcoming days, but the player’s preference is an issue.

In July, Tomori rejected a move to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal and it is understood that the centre-back is in favour of a return to England.

The 28-year-old centre-back has featured 214 times for AC Milan so far in his career and has helped them win the 2021/22 Serie A title.