Aston Villa have made contact to try and poach a Premier League forward this summer as they seek cover for Ollie Watkins, it has emerged.
Aston Villa busy ahead of new season
Unai Emery’s side have been one of the busiest in the Premier League since confirming their place in the Champions League for the 2024/25 campaign, with plenty of business both in and out of the Midlands club.
Eight new faces have arrived at Villa Park, headed by Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen, but there have been significant departures too. Douglas Luiz has joined Juventus in a deal worth a reported £43m, while the club also cashed in on Moussa Diaby just 12 months on from his arrival in the midlands, joining Al-Ittihad in a deal worth £50m.
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Aston Villa’s new signings (summer 2024) |
|
|
Player |
Fee |
|
Amadou Onana |
£50m |
|
Ian Maatsen |
£37m |
|
Cameron Archer |
£14m |
|
Jaden Philogene |
£13.5m |
|
Lewis Dobbin |
£8m |
|
Samuel Iling-Junior |
£11.8m + add-ons |
|
Enzo Barrenechea |
£6.7m + add-ons |
|
Ross Barkley |
£5m |
There is likely to be more movement too, with Diego Carlos having been told he can find a new club, while West Ham have been locked in talks over striker Jhon Duran. The Colombian striker is expected to depart the club this summer amid previous interest from Chelsea, though talks with the Hammers have reportedly stalled and led to Julen Lopetegui’s side exploring deals for other targets.
Should Duran depart, Villa will be in the market for an alternative to Ollie Watkins, who scored 19 times in the Premier League last season. Now, they appear to be exploring a deal for just that.
That comes with one report revealing that Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has been placed on Villa’s list of potential striker options.
The French striker enjoyed a fantastic end to the 2023-24 campaign, becoming just the second Frenchman to net in seven consecutive Premier League home games after Thierry Henry, who he has been working with over the summer as part of the French Olympic team.
The legendary Premier League striker was quick to praise his charge too, hailing him as a throwback striker.
“He’s an old-fashioned striker, you can play a little more direct. He can keep the ball,” Henry explained. “He’s a boring striker to play against, he doesn’t lose the ball much, and he goes at the last defender.
“He uses his physicality, he’s good with his head, and he scores. It’s important that a striker like that gives you another dimension.”
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But the striker has just two years left on his current £50,000 a week deal at Selhurst Park, and has yet to agree fresh terms amid a desire to play Champions League football. As per the Daily Express, Villa are ready to offer him that and though talks are not advanced, the Villans “have made contact” with Mateta’s camp.
It is added that they are considering a bid to “test the waters over the coming weeks”, though no fee for the forward is mentioned. Should he be able to continue his excellent form from the second half of the 23/24 campaign, he could prove a more than capable backup for Ollie Watkins.