Aston Villa are rumoured to have edged ahead in the race to sign one target who could help Unai Emery solve a pending problem.
After Monchi combatted Aston Villa’s PSR concerns by making sufficient sales, Unai Emery is now focusing on possible incomings at Villa Park.
Already, the Spaniard has welcomed five new faces to the club in preparation for next season, with more expected to follow.
With Villa’s return to the Champions League to happen next term, quality reinforcements will be desired to bolster Emery’s squad.
Aston Villa are ahead of Liverpool and Manchester United in the race for transfer target Maximilian Beier
In recent weeks, Aston Villa have been linked to Maximilian Beier, who is an in-demand talent after excelling at Hoffenheim last season.
The German, who has a release clause of €30m (£27m), is rumoured to be of interest in the Premier League this summer, with news in Germany relaying such narrative.
According to SportBILD, relayed by Sports Witness, Villa are ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Brighton and Manchester United in their pursuit of the 21-year-old.
The report doesn’t outline the exact reason for this however, it is understood that the player only wants to join a club where regular first-team minutes are guaranteed.
It’s added that there is a ‘trend’ towards the player moving to England, with a belief that the forward is ready to make the leap to the Premier League.
The glaring part of the speculation is that Hoffenheim need to generate funds to ease their financial concerns, giving Monchi a window to act in if Villa truly want to acquire the Bundesliga ace.
Villa should replace Jhon Duran with Beier
Links to Beier come at an interesting time for Villa, who look poised to offload Jhon Duran in the coming weeks.
The Colombian has been branded as ‘disrespectful’ for his antics this summer, with his future now looking to be far from Villa Park.
Fortunately for the Midlands club, interest in the forward is not scarce, with West Ham reported to have made an offer for the 20-year-old.
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When Duran does depart, Emery must identify a worthy replacement, with the ‘elite’ Beier, as he was described by scout Antonio Mango, having the ability to provide such profile.
In his breakthrough season in the Bundesliga, the Hoffenheim star contributed to 19 goals, scoring 16 and assisting three to announce himself to the top flight.
While Duran’s behaviour is questionable, his ability is not, as he maintained a conversion rate of 25% in the Premier League last season, via Sofascore, although, Beier didn’t follow far behind.
Despite picking up 26 more starts than the Villa forward, Beier maintained a conversion rate of 20%, telling of his ability to bury the ball in the net when in the right position.
By purchasing the Bundesliga ace, Emery could capture a cost-effective replacement for Duran, in a player that may well be a better fit for the Spaniard than the Colombian, whose mind is elsewhere.
