Aston Villa now plotting move to sign “aggressive” £46m forward for Emery

As Aston Villa look to bridge the gap between themselves and the Premier League’s top four once again, they’ve reportedly set their sights on signing another attacking reinforcement for Unai Emery.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans find themselves sat as low as ninth in the Premier League table after struggling for consistency in the first half of the season, as summed up by following their recent victory over Manchester City with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.

It wasn’t a game centred around Villa’s struggles, however. Instead, Jhon Duran’s controversial red card stole the headlines and ignited Emery’s outrage.

Now set to be without Duran for the next three games after their appeal proved to be unsuccessful, Villa must hope that Ollie Watkins is back to full fitness and firing on all cylinders as they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion in the coming days.

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Meanwhile, Duran’s dismissal has seemingly sparked some interesting transfer rumours as 2025 arrives. According to CaughtOffside, Aston Villa are now plotting a move to sign Mateo Retegui from Atalanta next year in a move that would have to meet the Italian club’s valuation of at least €55m (£46m) next year.

The forward is enjoying an excellent season and has already been watched by Aston Villa’s scouts as a result. Taking Atalanta to the top of Serie A, Retegui could yet find himself on his way to the Premier League if he is able to steer the Bergamo outfit to a historic title triumph.

With Retegui, Watkins and Duran to call on, it wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that Aston Villa would have one of the strongest groups of strikers in the Premier League.

“Aggressive” Retegui could complete Aston Villa frontline

Whilst Duran and Watkins are already giving Emery quite the headache, the arrival of another star striker could leave the Spaniard with no choice but to change to a formation which accommodates a strike partnership.

Picking between Watkins and Duran has already been impossible enough, but with Villa looking like entering the new year in mid-table, now is the time for Emery to experiment and fit both players into his strongest side.

Meanwhile, if the former Arsenal manager does make that change, signing Retegui would also be a wise move. Having three strikers capable of reaching double figures for goals and forming a strike partnership between those options would undoubtedly go a long way towards bridging the gap on the Champions League places.

Described as “aggressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Retegui has had no trouble in keeping up and even outscoring both Duran and Watkins so far this season in what could be a preview of what is to come at Villa Park in 2025.