Aston Villa are looking to bolster their attack but Unai Emery has been dealt a huge blow in his pursuit of one target.
Unai Emery wants to use January as an opportunity to provide the outstanding Ollie Watkins with more support.
Unlike their rivals for the top four, the Villans are lacking in terms of depth in the attacking third, and want to address that in this window.
While Leon Bailey has been magnificent and Moussa Diaby has shown glimpses of his quality, there is still room for more firepower to aid their Champions League, or indeed, title challenge.
Villa came close to making their first signing after having a £10m bid accepted for Hellas Verona winger Cyril Ngonge, though his preference was to stay in Italy.
Several other names, including Genoa wideman Albert Gudmundsson, Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville and Juventus wonderkid Samuel Iling-Junior have also been linked.
In pursuit of the latter, who graduated through Chelsea’s youth academy, Emery has been dealt a huge blow after discovering Juve’s latest stance on the player.
Aston Villa dealt a blow in pursuit of Samuel Iling-Junior
In December, it was claimed that Villa had made “initial contact” with Juventus over their 20-year-old winger.
Although no offers were put forward by the Midlands side, they were joined in the race for his signature with Premier League clubs Tottenham and Brighton.
Now, it has been reported by TuttoMercatoWeb that his goal in the 2-1 victory over Salernitana has increased his chances of staying.
Despite changing their stance after watching the youngster produce a decisive moment in their pursuit of the Serie A title, they could still be persuaded to part ways with the winger if the offer is right.
It is said that a proposal of €20m (£17m) would leave the Italian giants seriously considering his future, but for now, he’ll remain in Turin.
Should Aston Villa throw money at Iling-Junior?
Emery likes to use players who fill multiple positions having used Ezri Konsa as a right back this season and Matty Cash as a right midfielder.
Iling-Junior, who can play as a wing-back or left winger in any system, would provide the Spaniard with exceptional versatility.
The Englishman has also displayed incredible dynamism when dribbling with the ball, opening his hips to go either way and not giving the defender an idea of what’s coming next.
It’s such unpredictability that has seen journalist Mina Rzouki label him as “brilliant” while talent scout Antonio Mango hailed him as a “constant menace”.
In a market where values are inflated, it seems a no-brainer for Emery to test the waters with a bid for Iling-Junior and then the Spaniard will truly know whether Juve want to keep their precocious talent.
