Bertrand Traore more likely to leave Aston Villa than Jacob Ramsey | OneFootball

Aston Villa star Bertrand Traore is more likely to leave Villa Park than Jacob Ramsey during the 2024 winter window, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano exclusively claims he is “hearing” that the winger may be set for a departure.

Unai Emery’s Villans side have enjoyed an excellent 2023/24 season so far, sitting pretty in the Premier League’s top four and progressing to the latter stages of the FA Cup and Europa Conference League.

Villa have endured a quiet winter transfer window, but several deals are in the works that could significantly bolster the West Midlands giants’ squad during the second half of the campaign. Traore briefly returned to Emery’s side during the 2022/23 season but could find himself out the door before the 1st February market deadline as he looks for a fresh start elsewhere.

Traore set for potential exit amid Ramsey rumours

In the 2020 summer transfer window, Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Traore from Olympique Lyon in a deal that could have eventually reached £19m. The 28-year-old was fresh from helping the Ligue 1 outfit to a surprise appearance in the Champions League semi-finals. Still, he was tempted back to the Premier League, having previously spent time at Chelsea.

Traore established himself as a regular under the management of Dean Smith, registering 15 goal contributions in 38 appearances across the 2020/21 season. However, the 75-cap Burkina Faso international would struggle for game time under Smith’s successor, Steven Gerrard, and would be loaned out to Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir at the start of the 2022/23 season.

A recall during the 2023 winter transfer window could have revitalised Traore’s career at Villa Park. A memorable winner in a late 2-1 victory at Leicester City reaffirmed his status as a valuable player for Emery’s side. But the winger has struggled to establish his place in the side during the 2023/24 campaign, playing in just 41 minutes across six appearances this term.

In October 2023, Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley told GIVEMESPORT that Traore has ‘no future’ at Villa. Earlier in January, Football Insider reported that the wide man was attracting interest from European clubs, hinting that Emery is happy for the star to leave. Traore’s case is made more complex by the fact he needs to return from Africa Cup of Nations duty, with Burkina Faso having been knocked out of the competition by Mali on 30th January.

Meanwhile, The Athletic has hinted that Newcastle United are interested in signing Villa midfielder Ramsey. Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur are also monitoring the England U21 international, with any offer set to be worth around £50m. Villa are reluctant to sell one of the most exciting talents to emerge from their academy in recent years but could be tempted into a sale to alleviate profit and sustainability concerns.

Fabrizio Romano - Traore could be set for Villa departure

Romano claims a Traore departure is more likely than Ramsey leaving Villa this winter. The Italian journalist doesn’t believe the latter has any concrete offers to leave Villa Park. Romano told GIVEMESPORT:

Aston Villa transfer news, including an update on Morgan Rogers

Aston Villa have endured a quiet 2024 winter transfer window but could be set to make several late moves in the remaining hours of the market. Like many other clubs in the division, the Villans have been eager to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

The departure of midfielder Leander Dendoncker to Napoli on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season may have cleared space on the wage bill to make one or two more additions. Romano has revealed that Aston Villa have agreed a verbal proposal with Middlesbrough to sign winger Morgan Rogers this winter. Confirmation of the 21-year-old’s arrival is expected imminently.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has claimed that Villa have reached an agreement with Adelaide United to sign goalkeeper Joe Gauci. The 23-year-old Australia international has completed a medical and is set to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal at Villa Park.

And journalist Ben Jacobs has recently told GIVEMESPORT (31st January) that Villa have made an enquiry over Chelsea striker Armando Broja. The 22-year-old could be made available in the final hours of the market as the Villans consider bolstering their centre-forward ranks.

Aston Villa return to action on 3rd February when they travel to Sheffield United, hoping to banish the memories of their 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle on 30th January. Emery’s side then host Chelsea in an FA Cup Fourth Round replay on 7th February, having played out a 0-0 stalemate in the initial tie at Stamford Bridge on 26th January.