Aston Villa now eyeing £11,000-a-week target who starred in UCL semi-final
da fazobetai： Aston Villa's pursuit of Champions League qualification has been one of the stories of the season, but if recent reports are to be believed, those at Villa Park are only looking to improve even further when the transfer window swings open.
Aston Villa transfer news
da heads bet： As things stand, Villa will complete an incredible campaign under Unai Emery, inside the Premier League's top four with Champions League qualification close to sealed. It's the type of achievement that they'll only want to kick on from, however, and the summer transfer window should help them do just that, especially when it comes to adding squad depth.
Emery must replace Tielemans with Aston Villa's big-money star
Aston Villa will play their first European semi final since 1982 when they face Olympiacos on Thursday evening
ByRoss KilvingtonMay 2, 2024
With that said, the Villans have already been linked with a backup for Ollie Watkins in Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho. The forward's current deal at the Foxes is set to expire at the end of the season, handing Villa the chance to land a bargain free deal this summer to add to Emery's attacking options.
Meanwhile, Jonathan David has also been linked with a move to Villa Park to compete with Watkins, with that seemingly being one of the aims in the Midlands this summer alongside competition for Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno.
According to The Boot Room, Aston Villa sent scouts to watch Ian Maatsen in Borussia Dortmund's semi-final first leg win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and are now eyeing a move to sign the left-back. On loan from Chelsea, Maatsen has enjoyed an excellent spell in Germany to attract the interest of Manchester City, Villa and Bayern Munich.
Borussia Dortmund will be among the leading contenders too, especially with how successful the left-back has been in Germany and after his father's own admission via Fabrizio Romano.
It will be a difficult race for Villa to win, but the fact that they've now got Champions League football to offer should go a long way in convincing players of Maatsen's calibre. When the summer window swings open, the left-back will undoubtedly be one to watch.
"Excellent" Maatsen can become better than Digne
Still just 22 years old, £11k-a-week- Maatsen has shown exactly what he's capable of on the biggest stage, having been part of a Dortmund defence which managed to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet in their Champions League semi-final first leg. Earning the praise of Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig as a result, Maatsen's performance was described as "excellent".
Now, it's Villa who will hope to benefit from such performances, as Chelsea run the risk of losing another impressive young player to a Premier League rival and one who is on course to become better than current Villans left-back Lucas Digne.