Aston Villa are leading the transfer race to sign a 24-year-old with a £67 million release clause, according to a new report.
The Midlands side have been very busy in transfer windows since Unai Emery and Monchi’s arrival, and the January transfer window could follow suit as they eye up potential new signings.
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He could be a serious target for Emery as well.
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Villa’s poor run of form in the last couple of weeks could have opened the club’s eyes to where they may need to improve if they are to continue competing domestically and in Europe.
Last week, it emerged that Villa are ready to compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool to sign Jonathan David in the summer. The forward is expected to leave Lille at the end of the season, which has many clubs on alert as he will be a free agent. David is looking for a five-year contract worth £5 million a year, and Villa are said to be willing to pay that to get the Canada international to the club.
The Villans have been linked with a few midfielders during this past week, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Chelsea and Kenneth Taylor of Ajax emerging on their radar. Both are good options for Villa, and their interest could be accelerated amid the recent injury blow to Amadou Onana. The Belgian has suffered a muscle tear in his foot and is expected to miss the next few weeks – while it is not his first lay-off of the season.
Dewsbury-Hall and Taylor are not the only midfielders Emery’s side is looking to sign, as they also have their eye on a 24-year-old player from La Liga.
Aston Villa leading race to sign Oihan Sancet
According to CaughtOffside, Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Oihan Sancet from Athletic Club in January. The 24-year-old came through Osasuna’s youth academy but was snapped up by Athletic at an early age. Sancet has been at the club ever since and has been a key player for them during their recent successes.
The Spain international played 30 times in La Liga last season, scoring four goals and recording five assists. Meanwhile, he already looks set to beat that goalscoring tally this season, as he’s got four goals in 10 league games.
The report states that Villa are in the “box seat” to sign Sancet, as they are prepared to make a significant offer for the midfielder in the January transfer window. The Bilbao man has an €80m release clause, which is just under £67m.
Villa are thought to be undecided over meeting that figure, but the board haven’t ruled out making a move and are looking at other ways of making a deal happen.
Club scouts have watched several games that Sancet has been involved in as Emery believes he can be very successful in the Premier League. However, Villa face competition, as Manchester United are also interested in the midfielder, though it looks as though the Midlands side are in the lead when it comes to securing his signature.
