Aston Villa have joined the race to sign an “entertaining” player this summer, with his current employers now willing to cash-in for the right price.
Villa eyeing summer signings as season approaches climax
Prior to the international break, Villa managed to sign off on a positive note in the Premier League, bringing a three-game losing run to an end courtesy of a 2-0 victory against West Ham United, which moved them five points clear of nearest-rivals Liverpool.
As such, Unai Emery‘s side are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League, with just seven games left to play, and there is still an opportunity to win silverware, as they travel to Italy to take on Bologna in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.
With the end of the season edging ever closer, the Villans have also started making plans for the summer transfer window, and bringing in a new midfielder is clearly in their thinking, having recently identified Everton’s James Garner and Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte as targets.
However, with Tyrone Mings receiving criticism for some of his performances this season, the Europa League quarter finalists also want to bring in a new centre-back this summer.
Serie A side set asking price for “entertaining” defender
According to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have now burst into the race to sign Sassuolo defender Tarik Muharemovic, with the Serie A side willing to cash-in for €30m (£26m) at the end of the season, amid widespread interest from Italian and English clubs.
Juventus, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur are also credited with an interest in the 23-year-old, who has emerged as a key player for Sassuolo in the Serie A this season, chipping in with two goals and two assists in 26 outings.
Indeed, the Sassuolo star is capable of contributing on the front foot, having been described as an “entertaining” and “front-footed defender” by Spencer Mossman, with the analyst also lauding him as aerially dominant.
Most recently, the Bosnian played a major role in his country reaching the World Cup for just the second time in their history, receiving a 7.9 SofaScore match rating in the 1-1 draw against Italy, before the home side went on to win on penalties.
|
Tarik Muharemovic’s key stats vs Italy |
Number completed |
|
Duels (won) |
10 (8) |
|
Clearances |
8 |
|
Dribbles (successful) |
2 (2) |
|
Accurate passes |
85/96 (89%) |
Having only turned 23 at the end of February, Muharemovic could be a solid long-term addition to Aston Villa’s backline, with Emery arguably in need of some fresh faces in defence, given that Mings turned 33 last month and Victor Lindelof will be 32 before next season begins.
Aston Villa now plotting summer move for £30k-a-week England international who Tuchel loves
The Villans are eyeing an “absolutely sensational” player.