‘Rejects An Offer From Aston Villa’ – Villans Suffer Blow | OneFootball

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Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez has rejected an offer from Aston Villa, as he intends to stay put at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

The Villa Park club experienced one of their best seasons in the club’s history as they finished fourth in the table, while winning the Europa League under Unai Emery.

The club, though, are going through a transition this summer as they have lost two of their key players in the shape of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans to Premier League rivals.

Amadou Onana’s long-term injury at the World Cup has been another blow, but they have brought in the likes of Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho.

Manzambi’s arrival has met with huge expectations at Villa Park, after the club paid a hefty €64m package to Freiburg for him, beating Newcastle United to his signature.

The Villans, though, are far from done and want to beef up multiple positions inside the final three weeks of the summer window.

Emery is looking to add a quality centre-back to his arsenal as a long and difficult season awaits Aston Villa on the horizon.

Eight-time Brazil-capped defender Ibanez emerged as a top target for the club and they made ‘repeated contacts’ for the 27-year-old.

However, it appears the Villans are set to face disappointment in their chase for the centre-back, as he ‘rejects an offer from Aston Villa’, according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

It has been suggested that Ibanez, who currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, has no intention of leaving them.

Al-Ahli are also not willing to let go of their star centre-back and are offering him a new deal with an improved salary.

Ibanez stayed in Europe for four years, playing for Serie A giants Roma, where he made 149 senior appearances before joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, who paid €30m for his services back in 2023.

Whether Aston Villa will make another attempt for Ibanez, or move on to other targets in the coming days, remains to be seen.