The summer transfer window officially opened for business on Friday and Aston Villa have plenty of time left to strengthen their squad before it slams shut.
They could start the window with an exit, though, as Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that negotiations are at the final stages to sell central midfielder Douglas Luiz to Juventus, albeit with Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling Junior coming the other way as part of the move.
The Villans are reportedly keen on a deal to sign £35m-rated full-back Ian Maatsen, who spent the second half of this season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, and are leading the race to land Denzel Dumfries from Inter.
They are now seemingly eyeing up a swoop to land a new centre-forward to bolster their firepower, with a free agent number nine on their radar.
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa sporting director Monchi is lining up a deal to sign out-of-contract star Kelechi Iheanacho this summer.
The Nigeria international is currently set to become a free agent at the start of next month, once his contract with Leicester City expires, and that could open the door for the Villans to snap him up for nothing.
Football Insider reports that Monchi had already flown out to hold a meeting with the player’s representatives in May over a potential transfer to the club later in the summer.
It states that the club are keen to add another marksman to Unai Emery’s playing squad as Jhon Duran is said to be in advanced talks over a switch to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
However, it does remain to be seen how many other teams are prepared to put a contract on the table for Iheanacho and whether or not the player is keen on a move to Villa Park.
Why Iheanacho could be a good signing for Aston Villa
If Monchi can get a deal over the line for the former Manchester City, Villa would be bringing in a proven Premier League forward who could be a fantastic alternative to Ollie Watkins next season.
He did, however, just spend the 2023/24 campaign in the Championship with the Foxes and racked up five goals and one assist in just ten starts as his team won the division and promotion to the top-flight.
|
Kelechi Iheanacho’s last three PL seasons |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Premier League |
2020/21 |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
|
xG |
9.05 |
3.63 |
6.13 |
|
Goals |
12 |
5 |
5 |
|
xA |
3.53 |
2.71 |
3.71 |
|
Assists |
2 |
5 |
5 |
|
Stats via Understat |
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As you can see in the table above, his last three years in the Premier League for Leicester, before their relegation in 2023, proved that he can provide quality in the final third at the top level. Iheanacho, who was once described as a “scary” finisher by ESPN’s Colin Udoh, scored 22 goals from an xG of 18.81 across those three years, which speaks to his efficient finishing ability.
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He was recently called up for Euro 2024.
The left-footed dynamo only started 39 games in that time and that suggests that he would be the perfect back-up to Watkins as the Nigerian star has proven his quality as a second-choice number nine who does not need to start regularly.
