Aston Villa are now weighing up a move to sign a free-scoring striker this summer as they look to add more firepower to their ranks in the wake of Jhon Duran’s exit, it has been reported, with the Villans one of two Premier League clubs showing an interest.
Aston Villa’s striker problems
Forwards dominated Aston Villa’s transfer window discussions in January, with a series of changes across Unai Emery’s frontline taking place over the course of the window.
The Midlands side are currently eighth in the Premier League, five points outside the Champions League qualification spots, and have looked to add more goals to their side for the second half of the season.
They agreed a deal to sign Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund early in the window, in a permanent deal that was balanced out by Jaden Philogene’s departure to Ipswich Town.
Then, their focus turned to loans and after failing with a move for Joao Felix, they ultimately ended the window having brought in Marcus Rashford and Marcos Asensio for the remainder of the campaign, with the club having a £40m option to buy on Rashford should he impress after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
However, they did lose Duran, with the Colombian forward joining Al-Nassr in a blockbuster deal, while Ollie Watkins had interest from Arsenal though no deal materialised.
The upshot of their January window is that they now have no obvious alternative to Watkins; all of Rashford, Asensio and Malen can play centrally but the trio all prefer to play in the wide areas, with none a natural number nine.
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It means that one will likely be needed in the summer, especially if Watkins continues to attract attention.
Aston Villa monitoring Serie A sensation
Now, a report from Italy [via Sport Witness] has revealed that Emery and Villa are one of a pair of Premier League sides monitoring Moise Kean as he continues to excel with Fiorentina.
The forward, who was once on the books of Everton, moved to Florence from Juventus in the summer and has taken to life in purple like a duck to water. He has found the net 15 times already this campaign, including an audacious flick from a free kick against Genoa.
He was hailed as “remarkable” by CBS reporter Marco Messina, who added that “his hold up play is so good” as he continues to find the back of the net with staggering regularity.
That form has made clubs sit up and take notice, and it is reported that Villa have “concrete” interest in signing the 24-year-old, who is believed to have a £43m release clause in his contract in Florence that becomes active this summer.
|
How Moise Kean compares to Ollie Watkins (24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Domestic League only |
Ollie Watkins |
Moise Kean |
|
Appearances |
24 |
22 |
|
Starts |
20 |
21 |
|
Goals |
10 |
15 |
|
Assists |
5 |
2 |
|
Minutes per goal involvement |
110 |
108 |
Tottenham are also said to be challenging for his signature, with the two Premier League sides both evaluating what could potentially be a bargain signing in a summer where strikers are expected to be at a premium.
Kean could well be an excellent pick up despite his early struggles in the Premier League with Everton, with the striker finally appearing to be delivering on his immense potential.