Unai Emery is scouring the market for a striker to rival Ollie Watkins but there is one target he should avoid signing at all costs.
With only three days till Aston Villa kick off their Premier League campaign against West Ham, there are still multiple creases that need ironing out in Unai Emery’s squad.
One of those major creases is at striker, where the Spaniard is currently eyeing a new rival for goal machine Ollie Watkins.
This is because Jhon Duran’s future at Villa hangs in the balance after disrespecting the club while Emery is also looking to offload Cameron Archer, despite him only returning this summer.
For the Villans to sign a new centre-forward, one of Duran or Archer must leave ahead of the transfer deadline however, there is one target Emery must avoid signing at all costs.
Villa want to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku
According to Italian outlets Il Mattino and Sport Mediaset – as relayed by Sport Italia – Villa are interested in signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian has endured a torrid time at Stamford Bridge after making a £97.5 million move in 2021, with the 31-year-old spending most of his time out on loan.
Last season, Lukaku became a huge hit at Roma as he plundered 21 goals in all competitions while helping the Italian giants reach the Europa League semi-finals.
It’s a scoring record that should take the fancy of Emery, especially with a reported release clause of £38 million, but he’s a player the Spaniard should avoid signing at all costs.
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Why Villa must avoid signing Lukaku
Lukaku has scored goals everywhere he’s been, including 121 in the Premier League alone, while appearing 41 times in the Champions League.
The Belgium international’s pedigree of scoring goals, which were previously dubbed ‘top-class’ by Joe Hart, makes him a tempting proposition to capture.
However, underneath the pillar of prolificacy, many problems come with signing Lukaku.
One major issue with signing the former Everton striker is the wage bill he commands, with the Belgian currently earning £325k-a-week at Chelsea.
For comparison, Villa’s current highest earners are Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans, who both take home £150k-a-week. Monchi would have to pay Lukaku double that amount and he isn’t worth it.
Although he’s scored goals everywhere he’s been, there are no guarantees he’d fit into Emery’s at Villa Park, where Watkins is the main man.
It’s unlikely that a player of Lukaku’s pedigree would settle for sitting on the bench, while it doesn’t make sense for Emery to spend all that money on a striker who wouldn’t start every week.
For the experienced sharpshooter, injuries have also been a major issue, so the club can ill afford to gamble on a player who is now aged 31.
Indeed, Villa must target a young striker – similar to Duran – who doesn’t mind playing understudy to Watkins and can develop under the coaching expertise of Emery.
