Offer tabled: Villa and Gerrard now launch move to make 'great champion' fifth summer signing

Aston Villa and Newcastle United have both made offers to sign Italian defender Alessio Romagnoli.

Romagnoli has been with AC Milan since 2015, however, the centre-back’s contract with Milan is set to expire in the coming days.

The 27-year-old, described as a ‘great champion’ by England defender Fikayo Tomori, has made 247 appearances for the Italian giants – 26 of which came last season.

Valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, it looks as if Romagnoli will become a free agent at the end of the month, with Villa seemingly keen.

According to Corriere dello Sport, relayed by Lazio News, Villa and Newcastle have both joined Lazio in the race to sign Romagnoli.

They claim that the Premier League sides have offered the defender a €4m (£3.4m) yearly salary, more than Lazio’s €2.8m offer.

Villa’s offer works out at around £65,000-a-week, which could prove to be a shrewd move, should Romagnoli become Steven Gerrard’s fifth summer signing.

The club have already brought in Diego Carlos from Sevilla and now have five senior centre-backs to choose from. However, the futures of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have been up in the air in recent months, so bringing in Romagnoli could result in one of them leaving for a big fee.

Romagnoli has plenty of experience at the highest level for both club and country and leadership from being Milan’s captain, and with no fee to pay up front, similar to their move for Boubacar Kamara, it could be a wise decision.

Source