Aston Villa: £25m ‘jack-in-the-box’ now ‘definitely has future’ at Villa Park
A £25million star has been backed to remain with Aston Villa despite speculation over a potential exit
Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey is unlikely to be sold during the January transfer window after a pivotal reason has emerged.
The Jamaica international has been starved of regular game time despite scoring and creating goals in the early stages of the campaign.
Bailey attracted interest from Saudi Arabian big-spenders Al-Nassr when Villa were willing to sell him in the summer.
Aston Villa star Leon Bailey ‘definitely has a future’ at Villa Park as he has been identified as the perfect replacement in the event of a key man being forced onto the sidelines, Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley has told GIVEMESPORT.
Unai Emery’s Villans have enjoyed a positive start to the campaign, which has seen them competing in the Europa Conference League group stage and suffering just two Premier League defeats, but Bailey has been struggling to secure regular game time.
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Villa were willing to offload Bailey for in excess of £20million during the summer transfer window, according to Football Insider, after falling down the pecking order thanks to the arrival of Moussa Diaby.
The report suggests Saudi Pro League big-spenders Al-Nassr showed an interest when it became clear that the Jamaica international’s future was up in the air, despite still having just shy of two years remaining on his £100,000-per-week contract, but a move away from the Midlands failed to come to fruition.
Although Bailey has remained among Emery’s options, there is ongoing doubt over whether he has a long-term future at Villa as he has been limited to just two Premier League starts even though he has found the back of the net twice and registered a further assist since the season got underway.
Transfer insider Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that the winger may be forced to seek a January departure because his attitude could cause friction in the dressing room as he goes extensive periods without regular game time.
Bailey has been on Villa’s books since sealing a £25million switch from Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen two years ago, but he has struggled to nail down a starting spot and suffered spells out-of-form.
Neil Moxley update – Leon Bailey
Moxley believes Villa will stave off any interest in Bailey during the fast-approaching winter transfer window as he boasts assets which make him a problem for defenders.
The respected journalist also feels Emery will not entertain cashing in on the 26-year-old as he is capable of filling in for summer acquisition Diaby if he is ruled out of action.
