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 Premier League 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. Onana and Ross Barkley are expected to return from injury in the next fortnight.
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.
