Aston Villa are reportedly one of three clubs keen to pursue England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the January transfer window.
Villa have been linked with midfield signings with Chelsea pedigree before. Last season, Conor Gallagher was one of the names most frequently connected with an apparent interest from Villa.
The club’s admiration of Loftus-Cheek dates back much further than that, with reports as far back as 2020 that Villa were monitoring the situation of the former Chelsea midfielder, now in Serie A with AC Milan.
The England international moved to San Siro in 2023 and has become an impressive figure. This season, he has started all of the Rossoneri’s Serie A matches and is already on the scoresheet. In September, Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel recalled Loftus-Cheek after a seven-year absence from the squad.
The player is contracted to Milan until 2027, putting him in the sweet spot for a move or a contract renewal at some point this season.
Milan manager Max Allegri wants the 29-year-old Londoner to stay, according to reporting by Sport Witness: “While Allegri is pushing for a renewal, nothing is certain as the Italian giants have placed a price tag of €20m on the England international.”
Should Villa take their interest to the next level, they could face competition not only from Milan themselves but Premier League rivals Newcastle United and West Ham United, two more clubs reportedly eager to bring Loftus-Cheek back to England.
Loftus-Cheek was one of the most widely tipped talents in English football in his younger days, marrying physical prowess with football intelligence on the pitch.
He played for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Tuchel, managers who’ve all proven over the years that they know what they’re doing.
The midfield man struggled early in his career with injury problems and a lack of first team consistency, and he was unable to cement a place in the starting eleven, at least in his time at Stamford Bridge.
Moving to Serie A has resurrected Loftus-Cheek’s career. He was most improved in the 2023/24 season and capped it off with ten goals and two assists in his 40 appearances under Stefano Pioli.
Nevertheless, injury worries remain a common thread throughout his career. Last season, Loftus-Cheek was sidelined for five months for various injury reasons. For Milan, Villa and anyone else, that’s bound to be a concern.
“Loftus-Cheek has quickly become an idol of AC Milan supporters,” said Serie A expert Stefano Buonfino as far back as last March.
“It was likely that he could do well in Serie A; very physical players like him can make a big difference in Italy. The only real doubt was about his physical condition, as he has always been quite prone to injury, one of the reasons why he has always struggled to find consistency.“
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