Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of Jacob Bedeau, according to the Bury Times. The claret and blue outfit have fought off the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, and Steve Bruce is confident a deal will be completed for the young defender before the upcoming transfer deadline.
Jacob Bedeau, who only turned 17 over Christmas, has been subject to interest from England’s biggest giants, even though the talented youngster was dropped by Leyton Orient just six months ago. After being given a second chance at Bury Football Club, he was determined to prove his former club wrong, and has made an instant impact in league 1 football. Bedeau was named Bury’s player of the month for November after just two first team appearances, and has gone on to make himself a vital component in Chris Brass’ back line.
In an interview after Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Walsall, Bury manager Chris Brass revealed that the 17 year old is due down at Bodymoor Heath for a medical, after a fee had been agreed between the two clubs.
“They have got to where our expectations are and they have done their homework, as you would expect from a club of their magnitude,” he said.
“The deal has not just happened overnight. It has been ongoing for a while. You have to make sure it is in the best interests of Jacob and the football club. He is going to be a fantastic player.”
However, Chris Brass is hoping that the potential transfer has not brought an end to the young defenders short Bury career:
“There are little bits I want to work on. I want to bring him back for the rest of the season, that’s what I want to work on in the next couple of days.”
Steve Bruce has had a £750,000 offer turned down earlier this month, however, with Villa in desperate need for creativity, Bedeau dropped down the pecking order in Bruce’s shopping list. Since then, the midlands club have completed their midfield makeover, signing Conor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury and Birkir Bjarnason in under a week. Bruce has now been able to avert his gaze back to the future, and has continued negotiations with the Manchester-based Club. A deal has finally been agreed(thought to be around £1 million), and Bedeau is expected to sign within 24 hours. The defender will then either begin training in claret and blue, or return to Bury on loan for the remainder of the season.
