Aston Villa are exploring a move for Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, as they seek to absorb the absence of Boubacar Kamara amid fears he will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Villa are poised to step up interest in the former Chelsea midfielder, who in September was recalled to the England squad after a six-year absence but was omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s most recent camp in November.
Loftus-Cheek moved to Serie A from Chelsea in 2023 after loans at Crystal Palace and Fulham. He has been regularly involved for Milan this season, though he has made only nine starts, and Villa regard him a suitable fit. Villa are limited by profitability and sustainability regulations and are thought to favour a loan.
Kamara, an inspired free transfer from Marseille in 2022, is arguably Villa’s most important player, with Unai Emery’s side losing only two of the games he has started this season.
He was forced off in Villa’s FA Cup win at Tottenham this month and Emery feared the Frenchman would be sidelined long term. The 26-year-old missed eight months in 2024 with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
The extent of Kamara’s injury represents more bad news for Villa, whose captain, John McGinn, was forced off in Sunday’s defeat to Everton, for which Amadou Onana was also absent through injury.
Emery said yesterday in the build-up to Villa’s Europa League match away to Fenerbahce on Thursday that McGinn could miss “some weeks” with a knee injury. But Onana has travelled to Turkey as both sides target automatic qualification for the last 16 in March.
Nottingham Forest could be without a bona fide striker against Braga on Thursday, with Igor Jesus a major doubt for their Europa League tie. The Brazil striker did not train with the Forest squad on Wednesday before flying to Portugal for their penultimate match of the league phase.
"He’s got a bit of a knock, which is unfortunate, so we’re going to have to make a call on that one," the Forest head coach, Sean Dyche, said. "We’ll see how it settles down overnight."
Forest allowed Arnaud Kalimuendo, a £26m signing last summer, to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan this month, while Chris Wood is injured and Taiwo Awoniyi ineligible.
Ben Fisher
Emery confirmed goalkeeper Emi Martínez is not part of the squad that travelled to Istanbul owing to a calf issue. Jhon Durán could face his former club for the first time since leaving last year after Uefa cut his suspension.
Villa had registered interest in the England midfielder Conor Gallagher, who joined Tottenham from Atlético Madrid this month, and could pursue Loftus-Cheek as they scour the market for midfield reinforcements.
Villa also want an established striker after selling Donyell Malen to Roma. Tammy Abraham and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave, are among their targets. They are also working to terminate Harvey Elliott’s loan from Liverpool.
