Brugge reject Aston Villa bid for Nakamba

Aston Villa are said to have failed with an £11 million offer for Zimbabwean midfielder Marvelous Nakamba.

Villa demanded that Club Brugge sign one of their players ‘‘for a few million euros’’ as part of their offer for Nakamba, according to Belgian newspaper HLN.

The Belgian newspaper reports that Brugge refused the Villans’ proposal, which accompanied an £11 million bid for Nakamba.

It adds that the 25-year-old has been ‘‘unlawfully absent for more than a week’’ and continues to hope that he can force a transfer away from the Pro League giants, with his entourage ‘‘assuming’’ that an agreement will soon be found with Aston Villa.

Nakamba would provide Villa, for whom John McGinn starred last season, with another combative option in central midfield.

The Villans are expected to add the more defensive-minded Douglas Luiz to an offensive-looking engine room cast, and it remains to be seen how that move would affect their pursuit of Nakamba.

The Zimbabwean, who has also been linked with Newcastle United, is already following Aston Villa on Twitter. — HITC