Aston Villa have a lot of unwanted players in the first-team squad that Steven Gerrard has been tasked with moving on – Lovre Kalinic, Frederic Guilbert, Morgan Sanson, Anwar El Ghazi, Keinan Davis and Wesley Moraes.
The 41-year-old has been proactive this summer, releasing Ashley Young on a free transfer, selling Matt Targett to Newcastle United and releasing Conor Hourihane, and Fabrizio Romano says he’s managed to get some money for Villa’s latest departure.
He reported in the early hours on Thursday morning that Trabzonspor have agreed a deal for Trezeguet. Matt Maher of the Express and Star said later on that the fee is €5m (£4.3m).
The 27-year-old has one year remaining on his deal at Villa Park and was deemed surplus to requirements by Gerrard, so it’s a bonus getting any money from the sale. And not having to pay his £32.5k-per-week wages means Villa save £1.7m over the next 12 months.
Trezeguet’s impressive loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir (13 games, 6 goals, 4 assists) likely added to his value, so Villa’s decision to let him leave last summer was vindicated. They’ve now made back £6m for a player they paid £9m for in 2019, so it’s not bad work from the negotiating team.
In other news, Steven Gerrard might have to send Tim Iroegbunam out on loan next season
