Work permit thought to be delaying Gueye transfer to Villa

Earlier in the week we heard from Sky News (and plenty of others) that a £9 million deal bringing midfielder Idrissa Gueye from Lille to Aston Villa was all but done. It's two days later, and despite Gueye being seen at the Birmingham airport and rumours of having completed a physical, we still haven't received confirmation. So what's the hold-up?

It turns out that we're apparently waiting on Gueye to get a work permit. It makes sense that the club wouldn't want to announce a move with any chance remaining that it could be scuttled, but from everything we've heard there is no reason to worry that the permit isn't forthcoming. Maybe we'll see an announcement tomorrow, or maybe the club will wait until sometime next week.

If there is anything to worry about, it comes in the form of a competing bid from Marseille. The Ligue 1 side are apparently trying to make a last-ditch effort to secure the services of Gueye, but given the fact that the Senegalese midfielder has made it widely known that he wants to play in England, I don't think it's going to work.

So for now we're just waiting. It's never fun to think that a deal like this - one that is, by all accounts, a very smart move for Villa - could fall apart, but we've got no immediate reason to worry it seems.