Exclusive: Aston Villa agree to sign player in deal worth £14m in fee and wages

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Published on:

21 Dec 2018, 6:19 am

EXCLUSIVE By Pete O'Rourke

Croatian goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal on £30,000-a-week to join Aston Villa, Football Insider sources understands.

Villa agreed a fee of £5million rising to £7m with Gent earlier this week for Kalinic and the giant goalkeeper underwent a medical at Villa's training ground on Thursday.

Kalinic has successfully come through his medical and has agreed a deal until 2023 at Villa Park. The total cost of the deal, including fee and wages, is £14million.

The 28-year-old impressed in Croatia's Nations League clash with England at Wembley last month and he was part of the Croatia squad that reached the World Cup final last summer.

Kalinic has been a long-term target for Villa with the Championship club seeing a move for Kalinic fall through in 2016 fall through after he failed to secure a work permit.

However, Villa have had no issues in winning a work permit for Kalinic this time as he is now the No.1 keeper for Croatia.

Kalinic will officially complete his move when the transfer window reopens on January 1st and he will become Dean Smith's first signing since taking charge at Villa.

Kalinic is set to become Villa's first-choice keeper with Norwegian Orjan Nyland failing to convince between the sticks so far this season.

In other Aston Villa news, the club have made a move to sign a Sheffield Wednesday ace as talks over a deal have begun.

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