^ ^ Aston Villa confirm interest in January transfer deal for Chelsea star

Aston Villa are exploring a move to sign Chelsea midfielder Joao Felix (Picture: Getty)

Aston Villa sporting director Monchi has confirmed the club are interested in signing Chelsea’s Joao Felix but admits an agreement will likely prove ‘complicated’ this January.

Felix returned to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid last summer, following an underwhelming loan spell during the 2022/23 season, in a deal worth in the region of £42million.

But Felix has once again flattered to deceive in a Chelsea shirt, managing just one goal and an assist in the Premier League this season, and there is mounting speculation that the attacking midfielder could be set for the exit door.

Felix is said to have grown frustrated with his increasingly peripheral role in west London under Enzo Maresca and Villa have been closely monitoring the situation, with Unai Emery a known admirer of the Portugal international.

With Jhon Duran on the verge of a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League, Felix has been identified as a top target to help fill the void left by the Colombian forward. The latest reports indicate he has even asked to leave Stamford Bridge.

‘The first thing we are going to do with the money we receive from the sale of Duran is to keep a portion of it because of the Financial Fair Play rules, which are very demanding,’ Villa chief Monchi told Spanish publication AS.

‘A significant part of the income will go towards that. Then there are names, one of them being Joao.

Felix has scored just one goal in the Premier League this season (Picture: Getty)

Felix is a ‘small object of desire’ for Emery, says Monchi (Picture: Getty)

‘Emery likes him, because in the three transfer markets I have been in, the fourth with this one, he has always been mentioned and has been a small object of desire for Emery. But it is complicated and I don’t know if we will be able to do it.

‘He is a player with a lot of quality and Emery has been able to recover players who were considered lost in his history as a coach. He trusts in Joao’s talent.

‘Previously, Aston Villa were in the Europa Conference League and he wanted the Champions League, that’s why he went to Barcelona.

‘Then, in the operation with Conor Gallagher and Atletico, he had to enter into negotiations with Chelsea and we couldn’t get it done.’

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While acknowledging that Duran has ‘tremendous potential’, Monchi says the money being offered from Saudi Arabia is nigh-on impossible for both the club and the player to turn down.

‘He is a player with tremendous potential but these types of offers, for the club and the player, are difficult to reject,’ he added.

‘Between fixed and variable amounts, it will be close to €85million. There are a few small details left and for the player it is an incredible economic leap.

‘You are not only a sporting manager, but also a financial manager for a club. These offers are difficult to reject, because they increase his salary fivefold.’

Duran is expected to leave Villa for the Saudi Pro League (Picture: Getty)

Monchi picked out three huge names he would sign for Villa if money was no object this January.

‘It’s complicated, because it depends on the profiles. If you ask me for a winger it would be Lamine [Yamal]. He will mark an era, he’s different, he’s very talented,’ he replied.

‘A striker, [Erling] Haaland. A box-to-box player, [Jude] Bellingham.

‘It’s true that I really like Bellingham’s profile. Strong, not lacking in quality, with a goal and an attacking ability. I consider him the most complete.’

Emery has ‘always had Asensio in mind’, according to Monchi (Picture: Getty)

Monchi went on to lift the lid on Villa’s interest in Paris Saint-Germain forward Marco Asensio, formerly of Real Madrid, a player that Emery has ‘always had in mind’.

‘It’s a similar case to Joao Felix, there is also an important love affair,’ he went on.

‘Shortly before my arrival, Aston Villa tried to sign him and came close, but he went to PSG.

‘He is a player that Emery has always had in mind because he believes in his quality.

‘Arsenal? I think they are more looking for a striker, because of the injuries they have had. What I do know is that Asensio is not playing.’

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^ ^ Man Utd vs Crystal Palace: Latest team news, predicted lineup and injuries

Garnacho’s future remains uncertain but has been back in the side recently (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United are looking to avoid another slip-up at home when they host Crystal Palace at Old Trafford this weekend.

Since the start of December, Ruben Amorim’s side have lost four of their six home matches in the Premier League.

While there has been improvement beating the league’s bottom side Southampton and Rangers in the Europa League on home turf, there remain serious questions over United’s ability to perform in front of their own fans.

Victory away to Fulham last weekend eased some of the pressure with United turning in another much-improved display in their Europa League victory over FCSB on Thursday.

Kobbie Mainoo turned in a wonderful performance in a more advanced role last night, grabbing a goal and assist in what was his best performance of the season.

The England international made a strong case for starting again at the weekend, as did Alejandro Garnacho who also impressed off the bench.

Amorim almost has a fully-fit squad to choose from but there are some major decisions to be made in the side – namely up front where Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee has continued to toil with not a goal between the pair in 2025.

Mainoo shone in Bucharest (Picture: Getty)

Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui all shook off knocks to feature at Craven Cottage  but Manuel Ugarte was forced off late on in that win, replaced by Toby Collyer.

The Uruguayan was back among the subs on Thursday night and will be expected to return to the side this weekend.

Amorim’s plans paid off midweek (Picture: Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Amorim admitted last week he does not know when Luke Shaw will be available to play. The left-back has endured a miserable, injury-hit season marred by persistent setbacks, having not featured since the start of December.

Mason Mount also remains out after his setback before Christmas.

How Man Utd could line up this weekend…

Marcus Rashford’s exile is expected to continue following Amorim’s damning assessment of the forward’s efforts in training.

All parties are still working on finding a move for the England international before the January transfer window closes at the start of next week.

Predicted Man Utd XI to face Crystal Palace

Onana, de Ligt, Maguire, Martinez, Diallo, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot, Mainoo, Garnacho, Hojlund

Where to watch Man Utd vs Crystal Palace? Kick-off time and TV channel

Man Utd vs Crystal Palace kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 2 February.

The match will not be televised live in the UK. You can however follow all the action with Metro’s live matchday blog.

^ ^ Gary Neville says Mikel Arteta is influencing Arsenal fans to claim referees are ‘corrupt’

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was ‘absolutely fuming’ about Myles Lewis-Skelly’s sending off against Wolves (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has criticised Mikel Arteta for fanning the flames and influencing Arsenal supporters to throw accusations of corruption at Premier League officials.

Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal edged past Wolves in a 1-0 victory last weekend, but the scoreline alone does not paint the full picture of the drama and controversy that played out at Molineux.

As Wolves broke with pace from deep inside the Gunners’ half towards the end of the first period, Matt Doherty was brought down by Myles Lewis-Skelly for what appeared, to many, to be a bookable offence on initial viewing.

But the Arsenal youngster was left visibly stunned as referee Michael Oliver instead brandished a red card from his pocket – a decision that was upheld by video assistant referee Darren England.

While the visitors would go on to seal all three points, after Wolves were also reduced to ten men, Arteta told reporters he was still ‘absolutely fuming’ with Lewis-Skelly’s sending off in the immediate aftermath.

However, the 18-year-old’s three-match ban has since been overturned, which will come as a huge relief to the Arsenal boss ahead of his side’s encounter with champions Manchester City this weekend.

The red card, Arsenal’s fourth of the Premier League campaign, led to wild accusations of corruption from some corners of Arsenal’s fanbase and police are now investigating ‘abhorrent attacks’ on Oliver and his family.

Lewis-Skelly was given his marching orders in the 43rd minute at Molineux (Picture: Getty)

Arteta ‘inflamed the situation’ with his post-match comments, says Neville (Picture: Getty)

‘They [Arsenal fans] use language like corruption, which means they think he’s getting paid and bought off – which is obviously not the case,’ ex-United defender Neville said on the latest episode of The Overlap.

‘We [at Manchester United] lived in a club which created a siege mentality about the referees.

‘Arsenal are doing a bit of that as well – there’s no doubt that what Arsenal do is inflame the situation after the game rather than calm it down, they’ve done that for 12 months – but we can’t say that’s wrong having played in the dressing room that we did.

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‘The difference is now with social media, when we were playing back in the day and doing similar things with referees, we weren’t inflaming what would be a cause of corruption on social media.

‘Now you have a sway of Arsenal’s anger, which comes from the players and from Mikel Arteta, and prominent fans.

‘You now have a social media wave now which goes towards [allegations of] corruption and cheating. In our day, we couldn’t have that much influence – everyone was at home without a phone, and didn’t have Twitter.’

Lewis-Skelly’s three-match ban was subsequently overturned (Picture: Getty)

A small section of Arsenal fans have called for Oliver to be removed from all of the club’s future matches, which Neville finds absurd.

‘I hate the idea of a referee being taken off a game,’ the former England right-back added.

‘He [Michael Oliver] is the best referee in the country, and the idea that he would go into that game on Sunday and be swayed towards Manchester City – he’s not going to do that, he’s a professional.’

Arsenal fans have ‘become entitled’ under Arteta, according to Neville (Picture: Getty)

Speaking on It’s Called Soccer, the US edition of The Overlap, Neville argued that Arsenal supporters had become ‘entitled’ in recent years with Arteta at the helm.

On Lewis-Skelly’s sending off, Neville said: ‘I just thought it was a cynical attempt to break up play like you see many times, classic yellow card, you move on and the rest of the game occurs where you know the player is on a yellow card.

‘We see it sometimes, whether it’s a little trip, whether it’s a pull back of the shirt, whether it’s a wrapping of of the arm around the body… classic stopping of a counter-attack, for me, and it was a yellow card.

‘I don’t think it was the worst decision I’ve ever seen in the world.

The Gunners beat Girona last night to reach the Champions League knockout phase (Picture: Getty)

‘One thing I will see is and, to be fair, I’m not bothered because Arsenal fans are not great fans of me anyway, but I think they’ve become so entitled.

‘Honestly, they were playing against Wolves. Wolves have had more bad decisions against them in the last 15 months than any other club in the country it feels like. They had some shockers against them last season.

‘I just feel like every time Arsenal have a decision against them and it was a bad decision, but I feel like the exaggeration in the response… maybe it was the same with Manchester United back in the day and that’s why people didn’t like us and maybe that’s what Arsenal are creating now, that siege mentality and Mikel Arteta likes that.

‘But I can see why people didn’t like us back in the day in relation to referees because they felt like that about how we reacted and the same with this Arsenal team.

‘There is a definite exaggeration from Arsenal and their cohort of people in their sphere. Every time they have a decision against them it’s like the end of the world!’

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^ ^ Martin Keown sends warning to Arsenal over Ollie Watkins transfer

Martin Keown and Arsenal transfer target Ollie Watkins (Pictures: Getty)

Martin Keown has warned Arsenal they have little to no chance of signing England striker Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.

Arsenal have made a stunning move for Watkins in the final week of the January transfer window, offering Villa £60m for the Premier League star.

Aston Villa rejected the bid but Arsenal are expected to return with an improved offer as they desperately look to bolster Mikel Arteta’s attacking options before the transfer window shuts.

Arsenal legend Keown would be delighted if Watkins moved to the Emirates Stadium but cannot see Villa sanctioning his departure, especially midway through the season.

Watkins has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in the Premier League over the past three seasons, scoring 80 goals in 200 appearances for Villa.

The 29-year-old has earned 18 caps for England and scored in the Euro 2024 semi-final to send Gareth Southgate’s side into the final.

‘They’ve been linked with Ollie Watkins,’ Keown said on TNT Sports before Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Girona on Wednesday night.

Watkins before Aston Villa’s final Champions League group game (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s an interesting one because he’s a decent player. I would want him. I don’t think Villa will accept the deal.

‘They’ve got two very good strikers there haven’t they so eventually one may move on. Or maybe they’ll both stay, I don’t know.

‘But Arsenal are definitely pushing in the last few days of the transfer window and they need to strike.’

Watkins scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season and 27 in all competitions to help Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta wants to bring Watkins to Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal are looking to sign a new striker after losing Gabriel Jesus to a season-ending injury earlier in the month.

Current Arsenal No. 9 Kai Havertz has blown hot and cold since his £65m move from Chelsea in 2023.

Arsenal have also been linked with Benjamin Sesko, Dusan Vlahovic and Victor Osimhen but appear to have made Watkins their first-choice target.

Gunners legend Nigel Winterburn recently insisted he ‘would take’ any of Sesko, Vlahovic or Osimhen as his former club aim to catch Premier League leaders Liverpool in the second-half of the season.

‘The Gunners need a striker to take them to the next level, and that is to win the Premier League,’ he said recently.

‘I would take any of those strikers – it doesn’t matter which one. What matters is who scores the most goals for this team and is the best fit.

‘Each option comes with its own attributes, but the priority is finding the one who can deliver goals consistently to fire Arsenal to the title. Addressing this issue in the squad could drive Arsenal to a league title.’

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^ ^ Arne Slot reveals a transfer decision was confirmed in Liverpool defeat to PSV

Liverpool boss Arne Slot liked what he saw from James McConnell (Picture: Getty Images)

Arne Slot says he was so impressed by James McConnell in Liverpool’s defeat at PSV in the Champions League that he will now not be leaving on loan.

The Reds suffered their first defeat in Europe this season as they were beaten 3-2 by the Dutch club, with all five goals coming in the first-half.

Slot fielded a much-changed team as qualification was already guaranteed and the loss made no difference as Liverpool still finished top of the group stage table.

The match was a chance for some youngsters to shine, including McConnell as the 20-year-old midfielder made his Champions League debut and played the whole match.

The Reds manager liked what he saw from the prospect who was signed from Sunderland in 2019 and has chosen to keep him around the first team for the rest of the season as a result.

Asked if any players are set to leave before the transfer window closes, Slot said he will speak to sporting director Richard Hughes, but he has made his mind up on McConnell.

‘There’s always a chance in life. And at the moment we have most of our players fit so we will have this discussion tomorrow I think between me and Richard (Hughes) about these players,’ said the Dutchman.

McConnell made three brief Premier League appearances last season (Picture: Getty Images)

‘But there’s definitely one that will not go out on loan: James McConnell. I liked him a lot today. Maybe the end result today would be good for him to go and play but he is a player who hasn’t played a lot in the last six or seven months as he was injured for a while. He impressed me a lot today.

‘He is competitive in the training sessions we had, he is always very competitive. I’m not surprised, but you always wonder how you will react at this level.

‘James plays and is competitive. He definitely deserves credit for his performance today.’

McConnell enhanced his reputation against PSV (Picture: Getty Images)

McConnell made his Premier League debut last season under Jurgen Klopp but is yet to make a top flight appearance with Slot as manager.

He has turned out in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup so far this season and will be hoping that his performance in Eindhoven will afford him some more opportunities.

Liverpool are now safely into the last 16 of the Champions League, with the play-offs to come they can relax and wait for the draw for their next round which takes place on 21 February.

The draw for the knockout play-offs is held on 31 January, featuring the teams that finished 9-24 in the group stage.

^ ^ Everton interested in three Chelsea outcasts and Ligue 1 winger

David Moyes has made a solid start to his return to Everton (Picture: Getty Images)

Everton are hoping to strike some deals before the end of the January transfer window, with three Chelsea players on their radar.

David Moyes has made an encouraging start to his return to Goodison Park, coming off back-to-back Premier League wins over Tottenham and Brighton.

The Scot is dealing with a number of injuries, though, particularly up front where Dominic Calvert-Lewin has picked up a hamstring issue and Dwight McNeil is set for a long spell out with a knee problem.

Armando Broja’s loan move from Chelsea has also been ruined by injury, with the Albania international now out with an ankle problem.

With Broja likely to be out for over a month, The Athletic report that talks have been held between Everton and Chelsea to cancel the loan deal, but those discussions are yet to reach a conclusion.

An answer to the problem could be for Everton to take a different Chelsea player on loan for the rest of the season, with Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Ben Chilwell possibilities for the Merseyside club.

The trio are all out of contention, at least in the Premier League, under Enzo Maresca and are available to make moves this month.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has struggled for game time at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images)

Dewsbury-Hall has made six Premier League appearances this season, although only one of them have been in the starting XI, while Chukwuemeka and Chilwell have not appeared at all in the top flight.

Everton are also looking further afield than west London, with Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah reportedly on their shopping list.

The 21-year-old has been at Lyon since initially joining on loan in the summer of 2023 and then making the deal permanent a year later.

After his first season with the French side, in which he scored three goals in 33 appearances, Lyon agreed to sell him to Fulham.

Ernest Nuamah came close to a Premier League move last year (Picture: Getty Images)

The deal was so close to be completed that Fulham’s representatives travelled to France to complete the medical but Nuamah broke down in tears and briefly went missing as he made it clear he did not want to leave Lyon.

The club’s owner John Textor later apologised to the youngster for trying to force him out of Lyon.

The Ghana international has played 14 times in Ligue 1 this season, with just six of those being starts, with one goal to his name.

^ ^ Real Betis want to land another Man Utd outcast after Antony loan transfer

Antony has completed a loan move to Real Betis (Picture: Getty Images)

Real Betis are looking to bring in another Manchester United outcast on loan after snapping up Antony, hoping to sign Tyrell Malacia on a short-term deal.

Antony has completed a loan move to the Spanish side until the end of the season after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford under manager Ruben Amorim.

The Brazil international wrote on Instagram after completing his move to Spain: ‘Very happy to be here, thanks very much for everything. I am very eager to take the shirt and help the team.’

He could soon be joined by a familiar face in Malacia, with The Daily Mail reporting that Real Betis are interested in a loan deal for the left-back as well.

The Dutch defender has struggled with injury since joining from Feyenoord in 2022, missing the entire 2023/24 season due to a serious knee problem.

Despite injury to Luke Shaw, Malacia has played just seven times this season in all competitions and appears to be surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

His chances of playing are only going to become more reduced as Manchester United look to complete a deal for Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu, which is expected to be done imminently.

Tyrell Malacia looks unlikely to have a long-term future at Manchester United (Picture: Getty Images)

Betis, managed by former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, are hoping to take advantage of the situation and bring in the 25-year-old until the end of the season, although the Mail report states that there are other clubs also keen on his signature.

The team 10th in La Liga have some other recognisable names for Premier League fans, with the likes of Hector Bellerin, Pablo Fornals, Adrian and Giovani Lo Celso in their ranks.

Malacia has featured just seven times for the Red Devils this season (Picture: Getty Images)

Malacia confirmed recently that he is fit and ready to play, telling the Manchester United club website: ‘I’m always prepared. I always want to play good games, so it doesn’t matter against who.

‘I feel sharp and I feel ready. All I want to do is to play football. It’s been a long time so I’m happy to be back.’

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Manchester United are likely to have a busy final few days of the transfer window as they look for incomings and outgoings.

Casemiro has been linked with a loan exit to Serie A side Roma, while Alejandro Garnacho has been mooted for a move to both Chelsea and Napoli.

Marcus Rashford’s future remains unclear, with links to the likes of Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, but interested parties struggling to deal with his Old Trafford wages of over £300,000-a-week.

^ ^ Liverpool star reveals the reason £37 million Man Utd transfer collapsed

Cody Gakpo is starring for Liverpool this season but he could easily have joined Manchester United instead (Picture: Getty)

Cody Gakpo has revealed the reason a move to Manchester United collapsed and paved the way for him to join Liverpool instead.

The 25-year-old is enjoying his best spell for the Premier League club and has played a pivotal role in a season that looks likely to end in glory for Arne Slot’s men.

Injuries to Diogo Jota allied to Darwin Nunez’s erratic form in front of goal has seen Gakpo take on extra responsibility this term under Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

With 14 goals in all competitions, the former PSV Eindhoven forward is finally justifying Klopp’s decision to sign him, in part on the evidence of his impressive performances for Netherlands at the Qatar World Cup.

Gakpo could easily have been representing his country as a United player after Erik ten Hag had made him a priority transfer target upon his appointment at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag had already raided the Eredivisie and recruited his former Ajax charges Lisandro Martinez and Antony and planned to make Gakpo a key part of his forward line.

A late change of heart, however, saw the deal stall and Gakpo made the decision to stay put, until the winter window, after he scored his first career hat-trick for PSV against FC Volendam shortly before the deadline.

Cody Gakpo captained PSV before his move to Liverpool

‘In the summer of 2022 I was almost planning to leave and I almost went to United at the end they didn’t want me anymore, things happened,’ Gakpo told TNT Sport.

‘Then I could’ve stayed here or went to two other clubs I just prayed about it and found the answer in some goals I scored.

‘I scored a hat-trick and it was the first hat-trick of my career so I think a more clear answer I couldn’t get. And besides, fate guides me a lot and I think my parents guide me a lot in everything I do.’

Gakpo is returning to Eindhoven, where he spent five years, tonight for the first time since his January 2023 move to Merseyside.

‘Pretty strange,’ he said when he asked how it would feel.

Cody Gakpo has scored 14 goals for Liverpool this season (Picture: Getty)

‘I’ve never been in the away dressing room so it will be my first time. But when the game starts I think all those things will fade away and we will be focused on the game and we are going for the win.’

Slot, meanwhile, admits he has broken with his usual preparation methods by planning for two matches at the same time after naming a weakened squad for the trip to Eindhoven.

His Champions League leaders, the only team to win all seven matches, are guaranteed to finish no lower than second and having assessed the potential implications for the last 16 he decided the return to his homeland was a game he could gamble on.

Saturday’s trip to high-flying Bournemouth is the most significant fixture this week as Liverpool look to maintain their six-point lead at the top and for that reason he has left nine of the team who beat Ipswich 4-1 at home.

Cody Gakpo returns to Eindhoven tonight ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League match (Picture: Getty)

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz have all been given Wednesday off in order to have some much-needed downtime, with this the eight game of nine in 27 days.

Defender Joe Gomez has also remained at home after returning to training having missed seven matches with a hamstring injury.

Slot was asked if he was scared at the prospect of facing the Dutch champions and current Eredivisie leaders without most of his major stars.

‘I wouldn’t say I’m scared. It took me while to understand this new format but I am 100 per cent sure it doesn’t matter at all if we end up one or two; the result has no importance,’ he said.

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‘We play PSV and then Bournemouth and then Tottenham (in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final).

‘I’m especially working on PSV and Bournemouth and this is exceptional as normally I would only be looking at PSV – but I’m looking at Bournemouth as well.

‘All the ones who I left behind could have played tomorrow but if you look back at our season almost every three, four or five weeks we gave them a break if there was a moment to give them some freshness back.

‘They will be off tomorrow, if it is possible we prefer to have them off three days before a game but it is not always possible, and a few staff members will go home earlier on Thursday morning to train those that have stayed behind.’

^ ^ Chelsea in talks with Premier League rival over Joao Felix transfer

Joao Felix is wanted by Aston Villa (Shutterstock)

Aston Villa are in talks with Chelsea over a deal for Joao Felix before the end of the January transfer window, according to reports.

Chelsea signed Felix in a £46.3 million deal from Atletico Madrid last summer but the Portugal international has struggled to secure a regular role under Enzo Maresca.

So far this season, Felix has started just three Premier League matches and has played a total of 364 minutes in the top flight.

Villa, meanwhile, were keen on signing Felix last summer before losing out to Chelsea.

According to RMC Sport, Villa have retained their interest in signing Felix and are now in direct negotiations with Chelsea over a deal.

Joao Felix has started just three games in the Premier League this season (Getty)

Villa manager, Unai Emery, is said to be a keen admirer of Felix, however, the Chelsea forward has attracted interest from other clubs around Europe.

Maresca has stressed that his reluctance to play Felix is because of his belief that the 25-year-old would play in the same position as Cole Palmer in this Chelsea side.

Speaking after leaving Felix out of his squad against Fulham last month, Maresca said: ‘For Joao, I said Joao more or less has the same position as Cole, in some games they already played together but then it’s a matter of balance, this is the reason why.’

On Monday, reports claimed that Chelsea defender, Axel Disasi, has agreed a move to Villa.

Chelsea and Villa are now in talks over a loan deal for the remainder of the season.

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