Aston Villa transfer news: Marco Asensio signs and club agree Axel Disasi loan deal

Aston Villa Football Club has announced the loan signings of midfielder Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain and defender Axel Disasi from Chelsea, both deals running until the end of the season. These two players join the club following the earlier winter transfer window arrivals of Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen, and Andrés Garcia.

Reportedly, Aston Villa will cover the wages of Asensio, a three-time Champions League winner, but the deal includes no option to buy. Simultaneously, they will pay a £5 million loan fee to secure Disasi, also without a purchase clause. These acquisition measures are intended to enhance the team's strength to meet the challenges of competing on multiple fronts.

In addition to bringing in new players, Aston Villa has also adjusted its personnel. The club sold Colombian forward Jhon Durán to Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr for £71 million and center-back Diego Carlos to Fenerbahçe for approximately £8.45 million. Furthermore, earlier on Monday, they loaned out 21-year-old winger Samuel Iling-Junior to Middlesbrough for the remainder of the season.

Asensio has scored 7 goals in 47 appearances since joining Paris Saint-Germain from Real Madrid in the summer of 2023. The 29-year-old helped the team win the Ligue 1 title last season, but he has only started 8 league games this season. He was also a member of the Spanish national team that won the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery stated that the team needed new players after their 0-2 defeat to Wolves on Saturday. This loss placed the club eighth in the Premier League standings.

Asensio stated: "Unai is a coach I've known for a long time. He has had a brilliant career, is a top coach, and he was key in being able to come here because of his understanding of football. I like it – it suits me very well, and he's a very important person for me to be here now." Asensio is expected to make his Villa debut alongside Rashford in the FA Cup fourth-round match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (17:35 GMT), which will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer.

Disasi initially appeared destined for North London, but Villa beat Tottenham Hotspur to his signature, even though they only finalized the deal on Monday evening. It is understood that the 26-year-old preferred a move to Villa, who are currently eighth in the Premier League and have qualified for the Champions League last 16. Disasi will provide Emery with a much-needed center-back option following the sale of Carlos to Fenerbahçe. Center-backs Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings are sidelined with foot and knee injuries, respectively, meaning that midfielder Boubacar Kamara has been used as a makeshift defender. Disasi will not be available for Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur as he has already featured in the FA Cup this season.

Disasi initially hoped to stay and fight for his place, but earlier this month, he was made aware that it would be better for him to leave Chelsea. Villa and Tottenham both emerged as suitors, but Spurs quickly dropped their interest after sensing that he did not want to join them. Then, his agent seemingly convinced Disasi out of thin air that Spurs was a better option, but they ultimately lost out to Villa. What actually happened behind the scenes was a player caught between arguing parties – Chelsea were going to get similar terms wherever he went.