Aston Villa ‘close in’ on signing as Newcastle United ‘mini crisis’ averted
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Aston Villa are ‘closing in’ on a signing that would see them avoid a mini crisis when they face Newcastle United on the first day of the Premier League season.
Eddie Howe’s side will head to Villa Park on Saturday 16 August (12:30pm kick-off) for a mouth-watering first match of the season. Games between Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been very entertaining affairs in recent seasons - but next season’s clash will have an added layer of spice to it.
Villa missed out on qualification for next season’s Champions League on the final day of last season after they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford. A draw for the Villains would have been enough to leapfrog Howe’s side in the table, but they were unable to overcome Ruben Amorim’s side.
Controversy surrounding Morgan Rogers’ disallowed goal, one that could have been enough to secure a top-five finish, led to Villa releasing a statement criticising the Premier League’s refereeing appointment for that game. At that point, Villa had been reduced to ten men after Emi Martinez was sent off in the first-half.
That red card, whilst dealing a major blow to Villa’s chances in that game, also means that Martinez will miss their clash with Newcastle United next month. Martinez will serve a one-match ban when the Magpies come to Villa Park, although there have been plenty of rumours surrounding his future at the club.
The World Cup winner is wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, whilst Manchester United have also been linked with his signature this summer. Villa, meanwhile, have begun preparing for life without Martinez and are reportedly closing in on a transfer that would not only satisfy their needs on the opening day of the season, but also help their depth if Martinez leaves the club on a permanent basis.
Aston Villa ‘closing in’ on transfer
According to reports, Villa are closing in on the signing of Stade Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot. Bizot played 32 times for Brest in Ligue 1 and nine times in the Champions League last season but is set to end his four-year stay at the French side to move to England.
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The 34-year-old has been capped just once at international level by the Netherlands and will move to Villa Park as a replacement for Robin Olsen who left Villa on a free transfer earlier this summer. Bizot has a wealth of experience in Europe throughout his career with spells in France, the Netherlands and Belgium under his belt.
The Athletic report that Bizot will join Villa for a ‘low cost fee’ this summer. Villa, meanwhile, were sanctioned by UEFA earlier this summer for breaching their financial rules.
The Villains were forced to pay a £9.5m fee for breaking UEFA’s football earnings rule and squad cost rule. Emery’s side, who reached the last-eight of the 2024/25 Champions League, will compete in next season’s Europa League after missing out on Champions League qualification. Newcastle United will find out their opponents for the league stage of that competition at the end of August.