Aston Villa reportedly failed with a late move for Geny Catamo as their offer did not meet Sporting CP’s demands.

According to A Bola via Sport Witness, Aston Villa failed with a move for Geny Catamo in the latter stages of the summer window. Unai Emery wanted to bring the Sporting CP star, but the Birmingham-based side could not meet the demands laid out by the Portuguese club.

Aston Villa were scrambling for late moves in the window, as Unai Emery sought to bring in players that improved his attacking setup. The Basque coach felt there were some shortcomings in the final third, which did push the club into action in the final days, as they did fail with a move for Geny Catamo.

The Sporting CP winger, who could also play as a wing-back, was a player of interest to Aston Villa. The club were planning on a €20 million offer, but the report clearly stated Sporting CP sought at least €30 million. The current story breaks the fee down, stating the Portuguese side might have accepted a proposal of €25 million plus €5 million.

It appears Aston Villa were not alone as Fenerbahce also made an offer for the 24-year-old, but Sporting CP declined those proposals to keep the Mozambique winger. The Portuguese side are now angling to offer the winger improved terms that would see the 24-year-old retain his current €60 million release clause but achieve a salary increase.

As for Aston Villa, they did find some success in signing quality players in the final days of the window, including the arrival of Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United. Earlier in the window, they also brought in Evan Guessand to bolster the attacking options, while keeping hold of star striker Ollie Watkins.

Why did Aston Villa want Geny Catamo?

The possible explanation for Aston Villa angling for a move for the 24-year-old could have stemmed from their failure to sign Marco Asensio. Fenerbahce ended up beating Aston Villa for the Spaniard, which may have seen them make a late attempt to sign Catamo from Sporting CP.

The report also stated that had Aston Villa increased their offer for the 24-year-old by a mere €5-10 million, they would have signed the winger. However, the club ended the window with the permanent signing of Harvey Elliott while blocking an exit for Emiliano Buendia, which has seen them improve their attacking setup significantly.