Aston Villa plotting move for two Champions League forwards

As Aston Villa looks to challenge for a European spot, the club has identified Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres as their ambitious summer targets

According to The Telegraph’s Sam Dean, Aston Villa is looking to target both Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres this summer. It is also believed that Aston Villa is willing to pay a similar fee for Torres that Barcelona had paid to bring him to Camp Nou. Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney who is expected to leave this summer is also on the list of players that Aston Villa wants to target this summer.

While both Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres have not lived up to their price tags so far, the moves are nonetheless seen as ambitious for Aston Villa. It makes a lot of sense for the club to strengthen significantly as they look to leapfrog some of the traditional Big 6 in the table. Aston Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have significant financial power that makes them one of the richest owners in the Premier League. The club bought Unai Emery in October 2022 from Villareal for £5.2M in what kicked started Aston Villa’s season. The club’s significant turnaround has allowed them to prepare for a big summer.

Dusan Vlahovic is in his second season at Italian side Juventus. In a £62.8M move from Fiorentina, Vlahovic has not set the world alight but that may not entirely be his fault. Massimiliano Allegri plays a very defensive style of football that can leave Vlahovic very isolated. Even despite this, Vlahovic does have 11 goal contributions in 24 matches this Serie A season. He is a top striker no doubt and Aston Villa would have to pay an extremely expensive fee for the Serbian international.

One thing that should be noted though is if Villa does make a move for Vlahovic, it may hint at a change in formation. Under Unai Emery, the club has just the lone striker which is Ollie Watkins. Watkins is having a tremendous season with 16 goals so far. Watkins is not going to be benched and Villa is not buying Vlahovic just to have him back up Watkins.

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Ferran Torres is an interesting case because Manchester City was happy to offload him to Barcelona. Should Barca be able to recoup the fee they paid for Torres, they would be more than happy to sell. Especially with all the talk of Barcelona needing to raise capital for player registration, Torres leaving makes a lot of sense. That’s not to say that Torres cannot improve at Aston Villa but it feels like a fairly sizable risk assuming the fee is significant.

What are your thoughts on Aston Villa targeting both Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres?