Reliable reporter Ben Jacobs believes a deal is “there to be had” in Aston Villa’s pursuit of a “world-class” striker, who is also of interest to Arsenal.
Villa keen on a striker
With Jhon Duran joining Al-Nassr at the back end of the January transfer window, Unai Emery is lacking out-and-out strikers to provide competition for Ollie Watkins’ starting spot, and the manager is now looking at potential signings for the summer.
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has now emerged as a target for the Villans, with the Senegalese striker in line to replace Duran, and he is a player Emery knows very well, having spent time working together at Villarreal.
Mateo Retegui is one of the latest players to be linked with a move to Villa Park, with the Atalanta striker set to command a £50m fee in the summer after an impressive campaign in the Serie A, which has also attracted the attention of Arsenal.
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Retegui is not the only striker Arsenal and Villa may have to do battle for, however, with Jacobs recently dropping an update on the Premier League duo’s interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, the reliable reporter said: “I think suitors that are looking at Cunha – whether it’s Arsenal or Aston Villa or others – they will feel that regardless of Wolves going down or staying up, there’s a deal there to be had in the summer.
“And that may not necessarily be specifically by triggering the release clause. They may be able to work around its ballpark to get a slightly more preferable deal.”
Aston Villa’s upcoming Premier League fixtures
Date
Liverpool (h)
February 19th
Chelsea (h)
February 22nd
Crystal Palace (a)
February 25th
Brentford (a)
March 8th
Brighton & Hove Albion (a)
April 1st
Cunha keeping Wolves' survival hopes alive
Cunha has without doubt been Wolves’ stand-out player this season, with his goals giving the Molineux outfit a fighting chance of avoiding the drop, having netted 12 times in 24 Premier League outings, while also providing four assists.
Most recently, the 25-year-old netted a brilliant goal in the Old Gold’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, beating Alisson from outside the box.
The striker, who is widely reported to have a £62.5m release clause, has been in inspired form this term, and he has been lauded as “world-class” by football writer George Larkin,
The suggestion that the Brazilian could be available this summer regardless of whether Wolves stay up is exciting news, given that he has proven himself as a top Premier League striker, and he could be capable of claiming Watkins’ starting spot.
However, it may be very difficult to win the race for Cunha’s signature if Arsenal formalise their interest, particularly if Villa miss out on European football altogether, which they are now at serious risk of after drawing against 10-man Ipswich Town last weekend.