Aston Villa see £47.5m bid rejected for Como winger Martin Baturina
Aston Villa have seen an opening bid of up to £47.5m rejected for Martin Baturina as Unai Emery attempts to bolster his squad ahead of next season.
The Serie A side swiftly turned down the initial offer, holding out for a valuation closer to £69.1m for their highly rated forward.
Emery is keen to add elite attacking depth to his ranks following a stellar domestic campaign at Villa Park.
However, securing the 23-year-old’s signature will not be straightforward for the Premier League outfit.
Fierce competition for Croatian star
The West Midlands club are not the only suitors monitoring the talented attacker’s current situation in Italy.
Bayern Munich and an unnamed English top-flight rival have also entered the race to secure his services.
Negotiations are further complicated by his current employer’s strong financial and sporting bargaining position.
Under the guidance of Cesc Fabregas, the Italian outfit recently secured their own Champions League qualification and are deeply reluctant to weaken their squad.
International duty threatens to inflate price
The sought-after winger caught the eye last season by registering eight goals and four assists in league action.
His rising profile could skyrocket further as he prepares to represent Croatia on the international stage this summer.
A string of impressive performances at a major tournament traditionally triggers a dramatic increase in a player’s market value.
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic recently praised the dynamic forward following a strong display in a warm-up friendly against Belgium.
“He was good and very committed,” said Dalic.
“He showed he’s in good form. He finished the season brilliantly in Italy and today he was really very good. He won several balls, created overloads, and was our most dangerous attacking threat.”