Aston Villa now table offer to sign £8k-p/w teen compared to Sergio Aguero

Aston Villa have now tabled an offer to sign a forward who models his game on Sergio Aguero, it has been reported, with Unai Emery’s side already handed an answer.

Villa reconsidering attacking additions

After Ollie Watkins’ exceptional Premier League season at Villa Park, the priority was to find a suitable backup for the England international this summer. But that depended on outgoings. For much of the summer it looked promising, with Jhon Duran drawing interest from first Chelsea and then West Ham United in recent weeks.

However, the pair have looked elsewhere after it proved difficult to meet Aston Villa’s £40m valuation of the Colombian striker, with West Ham signing Niclas Fullkrug and Chelsea in advanced talks to sign Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion.

It has left Villa with Duran still at the club ahead of their Premier League opener against West Ham at the London Stadium. Recalled striker Cameron Archer is also in situ and there is little room to sign an expensive new striker to compete with Watkins or provide high quality cover in instances where the Englishman is injured or unfit.

As a result, they could now have to pivot their transfer plans to sign a younger, less experienced striker for a lower fee and attempt to turn them into the next superstar, much like they did with the likes of Ezri Konsa in defence. And reports in Turkey suggest they may have found their man.

Villa table offer for teenage striker

That comes with Villa one of two clubs who have reportedly tabled an opening offer to sign highly-rated Turkey striker Semih Kilicsoy this summer. The 18-year-old can play across the frontline, with Besiktas using him as a left-winger and a striker across the 2023/24 campaign.

That was his breakthrough season in Turkey, with Kilicsoy making 23 appearances in the Super Lig and grabbing 12 goals in the process, a run of form that saw him handed his debut for the Turkish national team ahead of EURO 2024 and named as part of Vincenzo Montella’s squad for the competition, though he played just a single minute.

Speaking earlier in the season, Besiktas football academy director Mehmet Eksi likened him to Gerd Muller, but revealed Kilicsoy himself prefers another comparison.

“As youth coaches, we compare Semih to Gerd Müller. Some compared him to Agüero. He also sees Agüero as his idol”, he explained.

Now, Turkish outlet Sabah reveal that Fulham and Aston Villa have both tabled bids for his services this summer, with Emery’s reported offer around 18m euros (£15.4m). However, they add that both have been knocked back, with Kilicsoy still having four years left to run on his £8,000 a week deal in Turkey and Besiktas in no rush to part ways with him.

It is unclear whether either side will return for the teenager in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, but should they opt not to and the striker enjoys another strong season, they could well see themselves muscled out by other suitors in 12 months time.