According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Gerard Deulofeu didn’t play against Udinese on Sunday because he is close to joining Aston Villa.
The Spanish striker had suffered a knee injury before the World Cup break, but trained with the team last week and was expected to be back against Bologna on Sunday.
However, he wasn’t even on the bench and according to Gazzetta, Aston Villa are behind Andrea Sottil’s decision not to involve the ex-Milan and Barcelona striker.
Udinese director Pierpaolo Marino confirmed on Monday that Deulofeu would join the team for a training retreat today, insisting that there are ‘no problems with the Spaniard.
Udinese won their last match in October and play the next Serie A fixture on Sunday against Sampdoria at Marassi.
Gazzetta highlights that Deulofeu hasn’t posted anything about Udinese on Instagram over the last few weeks and that he’s tempted to return to the Premier League, where he has already played with Watford and Everton.
His agent confirmed Aston Villa’s interest last week, but said that negotiations with the Premier League side were not at an advanced stage.