Aston Villa hold clear advantage over Newcastle in Lucas Rodrigues transfer race

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Credit: Imago, PimenTV Thu 30 April 2026 9:15, UK Aston Villa should be the clear favourites to beat Newcastle United to the signature of Lucas Rodrigues this summer after their successful 2025-26 campaign.Villa are on course to return to the Champions League next season as they hold a clear advantage over sixth-placed Brighton in the race for the top five.They are eight points ahead of Fabian Hurzeler’s side with four league games left to play, while Newcastle are struggling in 14th place and look set to miss out on Europe altogether.Both clubs are lining up a summer move for highly-rated Brazilian youngster Rodrigues, who has been a regular in the middle of the park for Goias since the start of their 2026 season.Villa’s transfer plans look set to involve a new midfield capture, and they are surely primed to beat Newcastle to his signature given the current plights of both clubs. 🔄 Aston Villa Transfer Update 🔄 Breaking news on signings, departures, and contract news from the Aston Villa boardroom. VISIT THE VILLA TRANSFER HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Aston Villa should be much more appealing to Lucas Rodrigues than NewcastleAccording to a new report from Sport Witness, Villa and Newcastle are two of the sides monitoring Rodrigues closely ahead of the summer, with wider Premier League interest also likely.The 18-year-old can play across the midfield and has impressed in Goias’ state championship games this season, with four goals and one assist in 10 appearances in that competition.Aston VillaFulham (a) – 1-0 LSunderland (H) – 4-3 WBologna (H) – 4-0 WForest (a) – 1-1 DBologna (a) – 3-1 WNewcastleArsenal (a) – 1-0 LBournemouth (H) – 2-1 LCrystal Palace (a) – 2-1 LSunderland (H) – 2-1 LBarcelona (a) – 7-2 LVilla and Newcastle’s last five results comparedHe is set to be a regular in Serie B this season, and recently extended his contract at Goias to 2029, with a release clause reportedly set at €44million (£38m).Neither club will likely be looking to pay such a hefty fee for an unproven teenager, but he is clearly set to command a decent figure that Villa will be able to afford after qualifying for the Champions League.Revenues will be down on Tyneside after a dismal season, so Newcastle will surely not be as willing as their rivals to potentially splash out on Rodrigues.Villa have already shown their desire to tap into the Brazilian market recently too, with teen winger Alysson Edward making three Premier League appearances since his recent arrival from Gremio.The path is clearly there for Rodrigues to make an impact at Villa, as well as play at a higher level more consistently, as they seem also more likely than Newcastle to regularly qualify for Europe in the coming years.Sources have also told Football Insider that Villa could sell John McGinn this summer to raise funds, so they look to be planning some long-term changes in the middle of the park that Rodrigues could be integral to.Emery’s side should clearly be the favourites to land the 18-year-old starlet if their only high-profile competition is Newcastle as it stands.What has Rodrigues said about his own future?Rodrigues is set for a bright future in the game, but will have to choose his next move carefully as he looks to leave Brazil and pursue a career in Europe.The midfielder has been asked about his next steps by Brazilian media in recent weeks, but has remained unsurprisingly coy while admitting that he knows numerous clubs are watching his progress.He recently said: “Yes, I’m aware (of the interest), but I’m not thinking about that right now.

I play for Goiás and my mind is 100% on Goiás. “There’s still the rest of the season, we want to get promoted, and I’m focused here.” 🦁 ASTON VILLA INSIDER UPDATE 🦁 Get the inside track on the Villa Park dugout, transfer strategy, player wages, and technical leadership at Bodymoor Heath.

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