Jonathan Johnson has claimed Moussa Dembele’s contractual situation has seen Aston Villa take an interest in him.
The Lowdown: Villa need a new striker
Villa made the slightly surprising decision to cut their ties with Danny Ings this month who’s moved down to London and be part of West Ham’s relegation battle while Villa have received around £15 million for the ace.
While Villa do indeed have Ollie Watkins within their ranks who cost them a lot more money than Ings, the latter is still the club’s top scorer this season with six league strikes, so it’s a bit of a gamble from Unai Emery to sanction the sale.
It looks as though he may already have his ideal replacement lined up though with links suggesting Villa are keen on bringing in former Celtic and Fulham Dembele who has just six months left on his contract at Lyon.
The Latest: Dembele on the club’s radar
The fact that Dembele is now in the final few months of his contract could help Villa seal a deal this month for a proven goal scorer as Johnson has spoken about live on Sky Sports.
He said: (20:20) “Moussa Dembele is obviously a player of interest for Villa given his situation and contract expiring at the end of the season. A prolific goal scorer, not had the best of times with Lyon but his record is still pretty decent.
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“Obviously, somebody who will be known to British football fans given his time in the Premier League and also in Scotland so I think given how this would be quite a low-cost move and a good opportunity for Lyon to potentially cash in on him I think that’s definitely one to keep an eye on because it could tick Villa’s boxes in the short to medium term.”
The Verdict: Emery could land his main man
It’s pretty clear that Villa need to sign another proven striker this month otherwise they can very quickly slip down the table and get engulfed in an unnecessary relegation battle, especially if Watkins was to pick up an injury.
The England international is the only recognised first-team striker on the books at Villa so adding someone of Dembele’s experience and proven track record when it comes to finding the back of the net could be invaluable.
Dembele would also not just be a player arriving as a sort of stop-gap because he’s still on the right side of 30 and has experience in European football so if Villa were to crack into the top six next season he could be a valuable asset moving forward.