Aston Villa to make shock Jadon Sancho call as sources reveal Emery interest in Tottenham winger alongside Brazilian gem | OneFootball

Aston Villa are open to Jadon Sancho’s exit from the club in January, sources understand, and with manager Unai Emery looking to bring in a £47.5m Tottenham Hotspur star alongside a pre-agreed deal for one of Brazilian football’s brightest prospects.

Sancho joined on a season-long loan from Manchester United – the latest in a series of high-profile loan exits from Old Trafford for the 25-year-old – though is yet to start a Premier League game for the Villains.

And now, with the one-time £73m winger having only racked up 530 minutes of action for Aston Villa across 13 appearances, just five of which have been starts, Villa are now having second thoughts over the player over the second half of the season.

Indeed, with Sancho’s loan stint not quite living up to expectations, Unai Emery, like recently announced with Harvey Elliott, is open to his departure.

Manchester United, for their part, have no intention of bringing Sancho back, and while sources insist there is no recall option, so Villa can’t just cancel the move, if another club were willing to take him, then a move could be greenlighted by all parties.

As a result, those sources can confirm that other clubs have been spoken to by intermediaries as they look for possible options for the 23-times capped England international in the New Year.

Former club Borussia Dortmund are one of those that still hugely admire Sancho, and they could be open to a deal – if the price is right. In addition, we are also told that Ligue 1 side Monaco and ambitious Serie A outfit Como have been approached.

Villa are also in the market for options to bolster their forward line and are understood to have tied up a deal with Gremio for Brazilian teenage Alysson.

Emery’s side are understood to have struck a deal worth an initial £8.7m, plus a further £1.8m in performance-related add-ons for Alysson. Gremio will also claim a 10% cut of any future deal, with the two clubs expected to complete the formalities of the 19-year-old’s transfer early in the January window.

Furthermore, we understand Villa are also looking into a possible move for Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson, though sources understand a move to Crystal Palace looks the most likely move for the Wales winger at this stage. Nonetheles, the arrival of the Brazilian could well see Sancho finding his already limited game time likely depleted further.

Emery continues to back Sancho publicly

Despite Sancho’s struggles to make an impact at Villa Park since arriving on loan, Emery continues to back the player publicly.

And while Premier League rules prevent Sancho from featuring against parent club United when Villa welcome Ruben Amorim’s side to Villa Park on Sunday, the Villa boss insists that the 25-year-old can still turn his form around and make himself a regular in the side.

“Jadon is still young. He has had an amazing career and is now in a moment where he needs help to recover his best performance,” the Villa boss said. “I have this challenge with him. He has this challenge with me as well. Of course, he is not playing all the minutes I think he has to.

“But in the second part of the season, I believe in him. He is really being demanding himself to try to get his best moment this season with us.

“Of course, on Sunday we are finishing December and then starting January soon. The first match back he will play is against Chelsea.

“He has that challenge with me and himself, and with the club as well. I believe in him and hopefully we can get it.”

Villa have a poor recent record against United, with the Red Devils posting their second-most wins against them than any club, aside from Everton.

Despite that, Emery insists that the only thing that matters on Sunday is the here and now and his players will be told to forget history when they take the field.

Emery stated: “I usually like to share with the players the numbers we have. Our own numbers and also Aston Villa’s numbers, also with the trophies they got in the past.

“The players can analyse better, sometimes – not the moment we are in now – but how is the history for the team. Those numbers really mean a lot. We are facing Manchester United on Sunday… and it is Manchester United!”

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As for Johnson, Tottenham Hotspur sources believe the club are increasingly tempted to cash in on their winger in the January transfer window amid interest from Villa and two other Premier League sides in the 24-year-old.

Meanwhile, sources have revealed Villa are carefully following a quality Inter Milan star’s return to action over the coming weeks and, once he is back on the pitch, they will then decide on any concrete steps ahead of the next transfer window.