Aston Villa line up £52m “magician” who’d be perfect for Barkley
Aston Villa are at a critical juncture in their journey under Unai Emery. Now that the dust has settled following the euphoria of qualifying for the Champions League with a fourth-place Premier League finish, the hard graft must begin.
Of course, competitive club football will not be contested until mid-August, but the interim must see some shrewd and purposeful work conducted in the transfer market.
Ross Barkley is closing on a shrewd return to Villa Park after spending a season on loan under Dean Smith in 2020/21, but Monchi is moving swiftly and has entered the race for an exciting attacking talent.
Aston Villa transfer news
As per Spanish sources, Aston Villa are in the mix to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha. The La Liga giants would be reluctant to part ways due to concerns about finding a replacement, though he is valued at €60m (£52m) and such a bid could be too tempting to ignore.
Emery’s team are up against Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester United, though both superpowers fail to offer something that Villa have in their clutches: Champions League football.
How Raphinha could fit in at Aston Villa
Signed from Leeds United in a deal worth up to £55m in 2022, Raphinha has scored 20 goals and added 25 assists from 87 matches for Barcelona, winning the 2022/23 La Liga title.
He has, however, only started 43 league matches across the two campaigns, and at 27 years old he will be eager to play a prominent role that reflects his patent quality, described as a “magician” by former Whites teammate Dan James.
Raphinha might not have had the easiest time in Catalonia but he has maintained an impressive level of potency throughout, ranking among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 1% for assists and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
If the Brazilian can translate such qualities back to the Premier League, Villa would land a real asset to aid them as they take a seat among Europe’s elite.
Leave a Reply