Witsel has spent the last three years of his career on Dortmund’s books, having initially been snapped up on a four-season contract following his departure from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian.
Witsel’s move to Aston Villa is obvious nonsense for Maric
Borussia Dortmund assistant manager Rene Maric has labelled the rumours linking Axel Witsel with Aston Villa as “obvious nonsense”. Witsel has spent the last three years of his career on Dortmund’s books, having initially been snapped up on a four-season contract following his departure from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian. The Belgium international has since emerged as one of the most consistent midfielders in the Bundesliga, and it has been reported that he has caught the eye of Villa. They are being tipped to launch a €5 million bid for his services before the August 31 transfer deadline. Maric has taken to social media to rubbish one such report, responding to a fan who said that the proposed deal for Witsel “would be an absolute bargain” for Villa.
“It’s obvious nonsense, can’t understand how some people are pretending it’s not just to make a headline,” the Dortmund coach wrote on Twitter. Witsel has appeared in 109 games across all competitions for Dortmund to date, with his latest outing coming in their 3-2 Bundesliga victory at home to Hoffenheim on Friday. The 32-year-old has also recorded 11 goals and six assists while helping the German giants lift the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup. Villa may not be welcoming Witsel to the club anytime soon, but they have been able to bring in a number of other new players during the current window. Jack Grealish’s £100 million ($138m) move to Manchester City freed up funds for the Villans to recruit fresh blood, with Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings all recently added to their attacking ranks.
Ashley Young also returned to the club on a free transfer, while Axel Tuanzebe has re-joined Dean Smith’s side on loan from Manchester United for the third time.