Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor has now encouraged his former club to sign one target.
Despite a fast start to the summer transfer market, Aston Villa are looking to add to their five new arrivals of 2024/25.
Ian Maatsen, Samuel Iling-Junior, Ross Barkley, Lewis Dobbin and Enzo Barrenechea represent the first captures of the summer as Unai Emery can finally focus on incomings.
Now that Villa’s PSR concerns have been eased as a result of sales, the manager and Monchi will eye several targets, with the club now prompted to chase one talent.
Gabby Agbonlahor urges Aston Villa to sign target Conor Gallagher if price tag changes
At the start of the summer, Villa were linked to Conor Gallagher, who could leave Chelsea ahead of 2024/25.
The Blues value their academy graduate at £50m, meaning that Villa would have to present a sizeable fee to lure the Englishman from Stamford Bridge.
Journalist John Townley believes that Villa will approach Gallagher after the Euros, something that Gabby Agbonlahor supports on one condition.
- READ MORE: Aston Villa fans all say same thing about Conor Gallagher after England beat Serbia at Euro 2024
Speaking on talkSPORT [09:40am 2nd July], Agbonlahor admitted he would like his former club to sign the 24-year-old but only if his price tag was reduced.
“I will take him, yeah, I will take him. Cut price, of course, yeah.”
Selling Gallagher would present Chelsea with significant profit as the midfielder rose from the club’s academy although, with Spurs also said to be interested, it’s unknown whether the Blues would eventually lower their price.
Villa must go all out to sign Gallagher
While £50m is a significant fee for any player, in today’s market, Chelsea’s valuation of Gallagher could be right, considering his performances over the 2023/24 campaign.
The England international scored five goals and recorded seven assists for his boyhood club in the Premier League, playing an instrumental role in Chelsea’s push for a European finish.
Now could be the perfect time for Villa to push to sign Gallagher, who was lauded as ‘sensational’ by journalist John Cross, with a void in midfield needing to be filled following Douglas Luiz’s departure to Juventus.
As per WhoScored, the Englishman averaged just 0.1 key passes per game less than the Brazilian last season, hinting at the creativity he could restore in Emery’s engine room.
Added to that, the Chelsea man averaged a higher rate of tackles (2.3) and interceptions (1.2) per game than any other Villa player in 2023/24, reinforcing his quality.
It will be a fascinating saga to follow as Gallagher’s domestic future remains uncertain, with it yet to be known how much Monchi really values the 24-year-old.
