Aston Villa Look Towards Serie A Trickster After Leon Bailey Completes Move To Roma

Aston Villa are reportedly preparing a move for Napoli star, David Neres, as Unai Emery looks to replace Leon Bailey following the Jamaican’s move to Roma.

Are Aston Villa Interested In David Neres?

The Villains have been in heavy contact with the Serie A during this summer window, most recently with Leon Bailey completing a loan move to Roma – becoming the first Jamaican player in the clubs’ history.

Unai Emery has now lost two players from his attacking roster in the last week, with Aaron Ramsey joining Newcastle and the Villains are on a late-hint for some more firepower going forward.

According to reports, Villa are preparing a move for Napoli and Brazil star, David Neres, after the Brazilian’s impressive spell under Antonio Conte last season.

The Brazilian move to Naples in August 2024 for around $30 million, making 30 appearances in his debut season, contributing to 11 goals and dealing with multiple injuries along the way.

Neres played a vital part in Napoli’s run to the Serie A title, but dwindled towards the end of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Antonio Conte’s 2025/26 lineup with Napoli will look vastly different from their 2024/25 title winning team, after Gli Azzurri signed Kevin De Bruyne, Sam Beukema and Noa Lang.

The Serie A champions were also dealt a major blow in their final pre-season encounter, as Romelu Lukaku was forced off with a muscular strain and will be out of action for three months.

Losing such a major part of their attacking identity may deter Napoli from losing any more players in the front-line, especially as Neres has three-years remaining on his current deal in Italy.

Despite the recent rumors, there have been no talks between the Italian side and Aston Villa, but any potential bid would need to be in the region of $35m.

Who Will Napoli Sign To Replace Romelu Lukaku?

Following the confirmation of Lukaku’s absence, Napoli have been scrambling to find a last-minute replacement as their Serie A title defense begins on August 23rd against Sassuolo.

Antonio Conte has already added a centre-forward to his roster, bringing in Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese and the Italian is expected to start the season despite the clubs’ search for a new talisman.

A plethora of strikers have been linked with the Scudetto winners, with the leading option coming from Fiorentina as Napoli prepare an audacious move for Moise Kean.

The Italian international scored 19-goals in Serie A last season, the second-highest tally in the league behind Mateo Retegui and looked to be leaving Florence this summer.

However, his enticing release clause expired in July and allowed Fiorentina in increase their asking price – meaning multiple suitors ended their interest.

Another option for Napoli which has made the headlines in recent weeks is out-of-favor Manchester United star, Rasmus Hojlund, who continues to be forced out by Ruben Amorim.

AC Milan are also interested in the Danish international and the two Italian sides may enter a negotiation battle with Manchester United, as a loan deal with a buy-option looks to be the most likely outcome.