Ball now in Martinez's court after messy end to deadline

VILLA concluded their summer transfer window with three deadline day additions on Monday.

- By JOHN TOWNLEY

Victor Lindelof was the first to arrive, signing on a free transfer following the expiry of his Manchester United contract earlier this summer. Jadon Sancho has joined on a straight loan, while Harvey Elliott is expected to become a permanent Villa player next summer for £35 million after spending this season on loan.

All three players add depth and quality to Villa's squad and were signings that Unai Emery had hoped Monchi would finalise in the final 24 hours of the window.

A fourth signing - a new number one goalkeeper - was on the cards earlier in the day. However, Manchester United opted to pursue a deal for Senne Lammens instead of Emi Martinez. The Argentina number one was keen on a move to United, having expressed a desire to start a new chapter in his career this summer.

He was not included in Villa’s squad to face Crystal Palace on Sunday, as he was not in the right frame of mind to play.

Moves to Turkey and Saudi Arabia were also offered to Martinez, with Galatasaray reportedly making a last-minute approach, according to reports - but the goalkeeper was not interested.