Leon Bailey had been offered to Premier League clubs this summer; Man City, Man Utd and Liverpool among sides tracking him last season but Villa have now made their move; Bailey was eligible to play for England before choosing to commit to Jamaica
Sunday 1 August 2021 07:12, UK
Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Jamaica forward Leon Bailey.
The move is subject to Bailey completing a medical and agreeing personal terms with Villa.
Villa announced the news on Saturday in a statement, which read: "Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen have reached an agreement for the transfer of Leon Bailey subject to the player completing a medical and finalising personal terms."
Bailey had been offered to Premier League clubs this summer following Leverkusen's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Several of England's top clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool were tracking the Jamaica international last summer, but were put off by the £40m price tag.
Bailey was previously eligible to play for England due to two of his grandparents holding British passports, and was being monitored by Gareth Southgate before opting to represent his native Jamaica.
The announcement of Bailey's imminent arrival follows the news that Villa are set to accept Manchester City's £100m bid for captain Jack Grealish.
While Villa are yet to formally respond to City's offer - which was made on Friday - it is understood they are now willing to allow their captain to leave.
It means Grealish now has to decide whether he wants to move to the Etihad Stadium in what would be the biggest transfer in English football history.
The previous record is held by Paul Pogba, who re-joined Manchester United for £89m from Juventus in 2016.
Although they are now ready to accept City's bid, Villa did offer Grealish a new and improved contract earlier this summer, despite him only signing a five-year deal last September.
You can follow all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms, as well as keeping track of all the developments on Sky Sports News.
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