Aston Villa now make contact to sign £26m striker with January move possible
Aston Villa have made contact over a deal for an “unpredictable” striker, and a January move could now be on the cards.
Villa vying to sign new striker despite financial limitations
Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson has suggested Villa may have a quiet January transfer window, due to Financial Fair Play constraints, saying: “I don’t think Aston Villa can do very much in January, actually. I think they may do a bit tinkering, but they’re under a settlement agreement with Uefa, and part of that is to reduce their general costs, so they’re on a quite strict set of restrictions.”
However, the Villans have continued to scour the market for potential new signings, and one position in which they are keen to strengthen is centre-forward, with it recently being revealed they have submitted a £26m offer for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia.
It remains to be seen whether the Spanish club are prepared to offload the 21-year-old, however, given just how impressive he was in his last La Liga outing, bagging a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory against Real Betis.
Garcia is not the only young striker on the shortlist, however, with a report from L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) revealing Aston Villa are now stepping up their move for Marseille’s Robinio Vaz, having recently made contact over a deal.
Vaz could now be available this month, given that negotiations over a new contract with the French club have recently broken down, and a deal could be possible for a fee of around €25m -€30m (£22m – £26m).
With talks about a new contract stalling, Unai Emery’s side have been presented with an ideal opportunity to sign the striker, but there will be competition for his signature, as Eintracht Frankfurt have also initiated contact.
"Unpredictable" Vaz could be Watkins understudy
There is no need to bring in an immediate replacement for Ollie Watkins, given that the England international only recently turned 30, and he has been in top form over the past few weeks, scoring four goals in Villa’s last three Premier League games.
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However, with Emery’s side on course to return to the Champions League next season, they could do with bringing in a young back-up striker, capable of slotting in for Watkins when required, and the Marseille striker may be the ideal option.
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Although he is still only 18-years-old, the starlet has already started to make an impact for Marseille at first-team level, chipping in with four goals and two assists in 14 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and scout Ben Mattinson waxed lyrical about him last February.
Given that he is still so young, Vaz may not currently be at the level to displace Watkins in the starting XI, but he could be a fantastic understudy to the Villa striker.