Aston Villa football president Monchi and manager Unai Emery are both in agreement they can get the very best out of a £51 million transfer target, with the club apparently now joining the race for his signature.
Aston Villa agree eight transfer deals in busy early summer
The Villans have wasted no time in restructuring their squad after qualifying for the Champions League, with club chiefs shaking hands on eight deals in total already.
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Former star Douglas Luiz, young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam and Morgan Sanson have all parted company with the club, bringing in a total of around £54 million to help balance the books and ease the PSR pressure after Villa announced a near-£120 million loss for 2022/2023.
Coming the other way, Villa signed Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus for around £19 million, with Lewis Dobbin, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley also joining the pair for a total fee of £72 million.
Ian Maatsen
£38 million
Samuel Iling-Junior
£12 million
Lewis Dobbin
£10 million
Enzo Barrenechea
£7 million
Ross Barkley
£5 million
These agreements have allowed Villa to register a net-spend of just £17 million, which is a big help in regard to PSR, but supporters will be frustrated to see a pivotal player of last season in Luiz depart for Juventus.
The Brazilian bagged 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions under Emery last season, and leaves a gaping hole in quality as Villa prepare to compete in Europe's most prestigious competition for the first time in decades.
His dynamism and creativity in midfield will be sorely missed, and it is now up to Monchi to source star alternatives to the Olympic gold medalist who can provide a similar impetus.
Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix, who may well depart the Wanda Metropolitano for a reasonable bid, is apparently on Villa's radar now. Reports in the last few days have claimed that Emery's side could hijack Benfica's pursuit of Felix, who looks set to be on the move again following successive loan spells away at Chelsea and Barcelona in the last two seasons.
The La Liga side are hoping to recuperate a portion of the £113 million fee they paid for Felix in 2019, with Atletico setting a price tag of around £51 million according to MARCA.
Emery and Monchi convinced they can turn Felix into a star at Villa
Spanish news outlet Sport have another update this week, and they say the 24-year-old is very highly-rated in the Midlands.
Indeed, it is believed both Monchi and Emery agree they can get the best out of Felix at Aston Villa. The Premier League side, as a result, have joined the race for his signature this summer – but it is unclear how much they're willing to pay amid their PSR concerns.
Felix's best ever season saw him rack up 15 goals and seven assists in just 26 Primeira Liga appearances for Benfica over 2018/2019, just before he joined Atletico. If Villa formalise their interest, they'd be hoping for a similar return.
