Kalinic to Villa may be a done deal, work permit pending

Yesterday we reported that giant Croatian keeper Lovre Kalinic was a transfer target for Aston Villa. Today, the deal may go ahead, if the reports are to be believed.

Aleksandar Holiga, an independent football writer based in Croatia Tweeted this earlier:

Also, Lovre #Kalinic to Villa seems to be a done deal, pending work permit. Excited about that one.

— Aleksandar Holiga (@AlexHoliga) January 21, 2016

Obviously, this is quite exciting if true, as Kalinic on paper appears to be what Villa need at the back. That is, a non error prone or overly eccentric keeper. However, until the move is made official, I'll still be hesitant to believe the rumours.

On the surface, Holiga's story checks out. Despite being an EU Member Nation, players from Croatia do still need a work permit to play in England, and will continue to need one up until July 2018. The question does remain as to whether or not Kalinic will be given a permit, but in another Tweet, Holga believes that there will be no issue.

Having worked for a number of reputable football sites, the source is fairly reliable. However, until I see Kalinic holding up a Villa shirt, I'm struggling to believe it.

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