Aston Villa are rumoured to be in the race to sign one transfer target this summer however, will face Premier League competition.
Unai Emery is looking to add to his five summer signings, with several players linked closely with a move to Aston Villa.
Already, Monchi has recruited Samuel Iling-Junior, Ian Maatsen, Enzo Barrenechea, Ross Barkley and Lewis Dobbin, with Amadou Onana and Jaden Philogene expected to arrive in the coming week.
While the Villans have made great progress in the transfer window, Monchi and Emery’s work is not done, with another player said to be catching the duo’s attention.
Aston Villa could battle West Ham to sign transfer target Oumar Solet
While attention is currently on the pending arrivals of Onana and Philogene, reports in France suggest that Villa are eyeing a swoop for Oumar Solet.
The RB Salzburg centre-back has been linked with a move to the Premier League in the past, admitting that the English top-flight excites him, as per the Daily Mail.
At the time of such comments, the 24-year-old was claimed to be a target for Newcastle United however, now two other English clubs have entered the frame.
This week, Sports Zone reported that while Solet is a ‘priority’ for West Ham, the defender is also ‘followed by’ Aston Villa.
Now seems like the perfect time for Villa to hold an interest in Solet, who according to Salzburger Nachrichten no longer ‘feels comfortable’ in Salzburg, saying a transfer is 100% likely this summer.
The same outlet credited the defender to have a mere price tag of €10m (£8m), making him a particularly attractive target for the Villans.
Solet would be the perfect signing for Unai Emery this summer
Described by himself as a player who “wants to win everything”, via his Daily Mail interview, Villa could be the best next step for Solet this summer.
Working with Emery at Villa, the 24-year-old could continue his experience of playing in the Champions League, as well as offering a lot to the Spaniard as well.
Monchi was warned of Villa’s defence being a ‘real problem’, with the squad’s options in central areas a concern going into the new season.
Currently, Villa’s options at centre-back are Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa, with each player coming with a respective warning.
Torres is injury-prone, as seen last season, Mings is recovering from an ACL injury, Carlos has been linked with a possible exit and Konsa is preferred at right-back by the boss.
It’s integral that Villa bring in a centre-back this summer, after seeing how useful the loan capture of Clement Lenglet was last term, as he covered when injury was rife.
In Solet, the Villans could capture a versatile defensive option, in a towering defender with the skill set to thrive in Emery’s free-flowing system.
As West Ham look set to miss out on fellow defensive target Jean-Clair Todibo, it will be interesting to see if the Hammers ramp up their pursuit of Solet, which should alert Monchi.
