Kosta Nedeljkovic  likely to join Aston Villa
In an unexpected January transfer raid, Aston Villa is allegedly nearing an agreement to purchase Red Star Belgrade fullback Kosta Nedeljkovic.
Transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano claims that Aston Villa has emerged victorious in the competition to acquire the gifted right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic of Red Star Belgrade for an estimated €9 million.
Aston Villa has had a very quiet winter transfer window because they haven’t made any major waves in the market, and half of January has already passed.
With a strong first half of the season under his belt, Unai Emery’s club is currently in third position. In recent weeks, the club has been linked to a number of players, most of whom have an aggressive mindset. The emphasis on forwards has been significant from Emile Smith Rowe to Paulo Dybala.
Despite this, Villa seem to have reached an agreement to sign a defensive player who won’t be able to significantly improve their results this season; they are almost certain to sign adolescent Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade.
The parties are reportedly nearing a final agreement, and it appears that the Serbia Under-19 international will sign a five-year contract at Villa Park. The 18-year-old right-back will spend the remainder of the season on loan at his present team before joining Villa in the summer. Crvena Zvezda has also added a 12 percent sell-on clause to the deal.
The 18-year-old, a graduate of the Red Star Academy, signed a deal with Belgrade that runs until 2027. He made his senior debut for the team in August. Since then, he has played for Red Star in 18 first-team games across all competitions this season, including four matches in the group stage of the Champions League, one of which was against the defending champions, Manchester City, in December.
Right-backs have long been on Villa’s radar, and Nedeljkovic is thought to have enormous potential.
Manager Unai Emery stated at a press conference that although Nedeljkovic won’t be at Villa Park until at least next season, Calum Chambers, a marginal player who is one of the few players who can play at right-back, will still be free to leave the team.
The only other natural right-back in the team right now is Matty Cash, however Ezri Konsa can fill in if needed. In addition, the team used its recall option on young player Kaine Kesler-Hayden this past weekend following a productive 24-game loan stint for Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
