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Joel Sanderson-Murray¡23 May 2020
Aston Villa turned down the signing of one of the Invincibles đ¤Śââď¸

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Joel Sanderson-Murray¡23 May 2020
Aston Villa turned down the opportunity to sign an integral part of Arsenalâs 2003/04 invincibles side, because he cost more than ÂŁ1.5m.
According to the Birmingham Mail, the Villains were once in discussions over the signing of Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva.
However, the club decided against pursuing a move for the 2002 World Cup winner due to a disagreement on the price.
The report states that in 2002 Villa manager Graham Taylor had the then 25-year-old on his transfer wishlist after watching him impress for Brazil in Japan and South Korea.
A meeting then took place between representatives of Gilbertoâs club, Atletico Mineiro, and Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis at Villa Park.
It was believed a fee of around ÂŁ6m would be enough to see the defensive midfielder become a hero on the Holte End.
However, Villa refused to pay anything above ÂŁ1.5m which led to both parties going their separate ways.
Later that summer, Gilberto signed for Arsenal for a fee of ÂŁ4.5m and went on to help the Gunners go unbeaten on their way to winning the Premier League title.
Oh, what might have been.