Aston Villa have signed Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara beating several clubs to the 22-year-old’s signature.
A Villa source told Football Insider that a deal had been agreed in principle for Kamara to join on a free transfer this morning, with the French midfielder having accepted the club’s contract offer and was set to imminently put pen to paper on a deal.
That deal has now been confirmed by the Birmingham club who have announced that the Frenchman joins Steven Gerrard’s squad on a five-year contract.
Welcome to Aston Villa, @BoubaKamara_4! ?? pic.twitter.com/hCnQtudtpe
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 23, 2022
Aston Villa have beaten several other big clubs to the signing of Kamara, including Newcastle and Arsenal who offered contracts to the Frenchman reports Football Insider.
Arsenal are looking for a partner for Thomas Partey this summer and have been linked with many midfielders ahead of the transfer window. The Gunners identified Kamara for the role but have fallen short in their pursuit.
As for Newcastle, the Magpies are also looking to strengthen their squad in order to climb up the Premier League table and the free transfer of Kamara would’ve been perfect as they could spend the saved cash in other areas.
Kamara played with Marseille since 2016 and made 130 appearances in the league for the French side. The 22-year-old is a defensive midfielder who is a ball-winner in multiple forms – a presser, dueller and interceptor – but also as comfortable against the press as he is when pressing himself.
The 22-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in European football and this is a huge coup for Steven Gerrard’s side.