Aston Villa have tabled an opening bid for Fiorentina full-back Michael Kayode, the 19-year-old Nigerian born player who exploded onto the scene last season in Serie A.

According to Get Football News Italy, transfer expert, Alfredo Pedulla revealed that the Premier League club will use the funds collected in the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus, to help finance the deal.

Villa sporting Director, Monchi, is thought to be a huge fan of the player and Pedulla claims that the Birmingham club has made an initial offer of €15M plus bonuses. Fiorentina are understood to be ready to sell for a fee in the region of €20M with the two parties now close to an agreement.

Kayode grew up in the youth ranks at Juventus before making the switch to La Viola’s under-19 squad in the summer of 2021. Last season, the Italy Under-21 international made 26 Serie A appearances for the club and six in the UEFA Conference League, which Fiorentina ultimately lost to Olympiacos.

Real Madrid and Chelsea have reached an agreement for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s season-long loan to the Spanish club, the clubs announced on Monday.

The 28-year-old Arrizabalaga will arrive as a temporary replacement for Thibaut Courtois, who will be sidelined for several months after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during a training session last Thursday.

Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 for a record 80 million euros fee for a goalkeeper but fell out of favour in the London club, who signed goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer.

He has reportedly been targeted by Bayern Munich as the German side are seeking to replace their own injured goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, but Real Madrid moved faster to secure the deal.

Courtois’ injury is a major blow for Real as they will have to make do without the services of one of their key players for the foreseeable future.

Courtois joined Real from Chelsea in 2018 after winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.

He was named Player-of-the-Match following the 2022 Champions League final after producing one of the greatest goalkeeping performances in a European Cup final.

Courtois recorded nine saves to deny Liverpool in Paris, leading his club to a record extending 14th European title after a 1-0 win.

Real Madrid had only one other goalkeeper in their first team squad, Ukraine’s Andriy Lunin.

The 24-year-old Lunin has made only nine Spanish league appearances for the club since signing from Zorya Luhansk in 2018. He spent his first two seasons in Spain on loan spells with Leganes, Valladolid and Oviedo.

-Reuters

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has refused to meet officials from Al-Hilal, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the Saudis’ ambitious hopes of completing a world record 300-million-euro ($333 million) swoop.

The French star has refused “any discussion with the representatives of the Al-Hilal club, present in Paris this Wednesday,” reported L’Equipe sports daily.

According to the report, a delegation from the Saudi club came to Paris to finalise the transfer of Brazilian Malcom from Zenit Saint Petersburg.

They also wanted to present their project to Mbappe while in the French capital.

“This approach will not succeed,” added L’Equipe because the entourage of the 24-year-old player “refused any discussions with the representatives of the Saudi club”.

“The captain of Les Bleus has never considered this option,” the report added.

Riyadh-based Al-Hilal had been given permission to open talks with Mbappe despite him never having expressed an interest in moving to the fast-growing Saudi league.

Mbappe has one year left on his contract with PSG, who want him to leave now rather than for nothing next summer.

But Mbappe is refusing to sign a new contract and the French champions believe he has already struck a deal to move to Real Madrid next year.

-AFP