Report: Aston Villa and Crystal Palace interested in Fabio Baptista

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Aston Villa are reportedly interested in snapping up Benfica youngster Fabio Baptista.

Calciomercato claim the Villans are casting their eye over the 19-year-old, who is currently with the club’s ‘B’ team.

Right-back Baptista is yet to make his first-team debut, but is supposedly another huge young talent to emerge from the club’s youth academy.

Also supposedly in the mix for him are Crystal Palace and Serie A outfit Atalanta.

It is unclear how much a deal for Baptista – who has two caps for the Portugal U20s – would cost at this stage, or indeed whether Benfica would even entertain any interest in the starlet from other clubs.

According to Transfermarkt though, he does have a contract with the club until 2024 and so that probably rules out any cut-price move.

TBR’s View – Villa may soon need a new right-back

Matty Cash is firmly established as the first-choice right-back at Villa Park, but from there things get interesting.

£25,000-a-week star Ahmed Elmohamady (Spotrac) recently turned 33, and one would imagine he is unlikely to stay beyond the end of his current contract, which expires next year.

Then there is Frederic Guilbert, who was strongly linked with an exit from the club during the last transfer window.

It could be that he pushes to leave soon given his lack of minutes in 2020, so a move for young Baptista may not be out of the question.