Aston Villa are reportedly closing in on the signing of Red Star Belgrade youngster Kosta Nedeljkovic.
With the West Midlands outfit competing for the Premier League title, it is anticipated that Unai Emery will eventually make at least one senior addition to his squad before the end of January.
Villa may have to wait until the likes of Calum Chambers and Bertrand Traore, who have each been made available for transfer, find a new club.
Nevertheless, it appears that Emery and the club's recruitment team also have one eye on the future having made an effort to sign Nedeljkovic this month.
Despite being in his first senior campaign with Red Star, Nedeljkovic has put himself on the radar of a range of different European clubs with his performances during 2023-24.
A total of 18 outings - including four in the Champions League where he played 78 minutes against Manchester City - have been made in all competitions.
That has been enough for Villa to step up their efforts to sign the 18-year-old, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano indicating that a deal is close to completion.
🟣🔵 Kosta Nedeljković to Aston Villa, here we go! 2005 born right back will join the club from Crvena Zvezda!
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 17, 2024
Medical tests will take place in the next days, travelling on Friday.
He's expected to stay at Serbian club until end of the season. pic.twitter.com/wNVuIkcE0Q
Villa have seemingly given the green light for Nedeljkovic to continue his development at Red Star for the remainder of the season.
Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa have each been used at right-back this season, performing to a level that has ensured that Chambers is now being allowed to leave the club.
That seems likely to continue to be the case for the rest of the campaign, with Nedeljkovic potentially coming into the fold from 2024-25 onwards.
While a transfer fee is yet to be revealed, Romano has indicated that it will be less than the £6.6m fee that has been reported elsewhere.
Darren Plant
