Aston Villa offered the chance to sign Nico Gonzalez
Aston Villa have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez this summer, with the 21-year-old La Masia graduate not featuring in Xavi’s plans for next season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Aston Villa are one of the two Premier League clubs offered the chance to bring Barcelona playmaker Nico Gonzalez to Villa Park in the ongoing summer transfer window.
The Spanish central midfielder came through Barca’s La Masia academy and has made 37 senior appearances for the club, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
Gonzalez spent the 2022–23 campaign out on loan at Valencia but endured an injury-riddled season. Even then, he did show flashes of his quality and generally impressed in his 26 La Liga appearances, registering one goal and one assist.
The Spaniard has now returned to the Blaugrana, and Xavi is expected to make a call on Nico’s role and future over the course of pre-season. However, it appears the Spanish midfielder will be shipped out yet again as there’s no space in Xavi’s squad thanks to the arrival of Ilkay Gundogan and the impending signing of Oriol Romeu.
As such, there are a host of clubs interested in securing his services. FC Porto are one of the clubs keen on signing Gonzalez, while clubs in Spain and England are also keen. In La Liga, clubs such as Real Betis, Valencia, and Villarreal are keeping close tabs on the young midfielder.
Now, Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Nico’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has even offered his services to Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Wolves.
Villa, for one, are really backing Unai Emery this summer. Of course, the Lions have been busy. They have brought high-profile Spanish international defender Pau Torres from Villarreal for big money and also captured Youri Tielemans on a Bosman transfer. They are also in talks to secure the services of Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, which would be another exciting signing for Villa fans.
It’s no wonder that they are being linked with a top talent in Gonzalez, who has bags of potential and the tools to become a top-class midfielder over time.
That being said, Villa themselves are not exactly short on midfielders at the moment, having added the aforementioned Tielemans to their ranks this summer. Unai Emery has a host of very capable options, including the likes of John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara, and Douglas Luiz.
Villa also have Morgan Sanson, Leander Dendoncker, and Marvelous Nakamba, although it is thought that all three players will be up for sale this summer. The plethora of existing midfield options makes it highly unlikely that they will make a move for another player in the same position. Also, it’s still unclear whether Barcelona would be open to selling the 21-year-old permanently.
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Aston Villa have reportedly held talks over a move to sign Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson this summer.
What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news?
Unai Emery is set to be backed by NSWE ahead of his first full season in charge with a “huge” transfer budget, and the club have already spent €33m on Villarreal defender Pau Torres.
Midfielder Youri Tielemans has also put pen to paper on Villa Park terms this summer after his Leicester City contract expired, and it looks as if attention is now on a new attacker.
Villa have reportedly had an opening €45m offer for Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby turned down, with Joao Felix another player of interest. Contact has been made for the Atletico Madrid forward, however, Villa have competition from Manchester United and Newcastle United, so it looks as if they could turn their interest to Johnson.
The Daily Mail provided an Aston Villa transfer update on Thursday regarding Johnson, claiming talks have taken place over a move for the Wales international.
Forest have already rejected a £30m offer from Brentford for the forward but are thought to be willing to sell, should a bid in the region of £40m be submitted.
Johnson has serious admirers within Villa Park and is believed to be keen on a move to the Midlands after encouraging noises emerged from the player’s camp.
How good is Brennan Johnson?
Johnson shares the same agency as Jacob Ramsey and is just 22 years of age who can play as an attacking midfielder, winger or striker. He has progressed through the youth ranks at The City Ground and appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €38m Transfermarkt valuation.
In total, Johnson has made 105 senior appearances for Forest, scoring 29 times and registering 12 assists. He enjoyed a productive first season in the Premier League last year as well, helping the Reds to safety in the top flight with 11 goal contributions in 38 games. Steve Cooper lauded Johnson as a “fantastic player” and a “great finisher” back in February after netting the winner against Leeds.
“He’s a fantastic player, we know he’s got qualities and is a great finisher. The guys didn’t get loads of service at the top end of the pitch but, sometimes you just need one moment.”
As per FBref, Johnson has been compared to the likes of Michail Antonio, Odsonne Edouard and Danny Ings over the past 12 months and ranks in the top 12% of forwards for progressive carries, top 9% for crosses and top 1% for tackles in the defensive third, showing how he could bring more than just goals to Villa Park.
Should a £40m move go through, Emery could be getting a player who may only get better in time, while also providing the Spaniard with an alternative option or potential partner to Ollie Watkins. Johnson could turn out in a wide area, behind Watkins or as another centre-forward, and by the looks of things, a move will be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.
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