Aston Villa now want to sign a new midfielder in January and have identified a potential bargain option available for as little as £8m to bolster Unai Emery’s ranks for the second half of the campaign, according to a fresh report.
Aston Villa working on tight budget
Though Aston Villa avoided financial fair play penalties over the summer thanks to the sale of Douglas Luiz, there are still constraints around their spending for the seasons to come.
The club posted losses of £120m last year and spent close to £130m over the summer, with Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen headlining their arrivals list. In fact, only five Premier League clubs spent more than Unai Emery’s side.
Though NSWE are no strangers to splashing the cash in recent seasons, Villa are also keen to hunt for bargains, as they showed through the signing of Ross Barkley from Luton Town over the summer, and with the Villans keen to catch the clubs at the top of the Premier League, they will have to continue that savvy spending in the transfer windows ahead amid links to a loan move for Arda Guler.
To that end, they have reportedly identified a bargain midfield target in January.
Aston Villa chase £8m midfielder
That is according to German outlet Bild [Via Sport Witness], who report that the Villans are chasing a move to sign Mainz’s Nadiem Amiri in what could prove a cheap move.
Amiri hit the headlines in 2021 for scoring a Puskas contender while at Bayer Leverkusen, but has blossomed into a reliable player for Mainz in the time since.
Now 28 years of age, Amiri has grabbed three goals and two assists in 10 Bundesliga outings, and his form has caught the eye of the Midlands side.
As per the report, Villa “sent a scout to follow the 28-year-old live in action in his side’s 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund earlier this month”, and are ready to make a move for him in 2025.
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He could be an opportunity too good to turn down for Unai Emery.
Though he is under contract in Germany until 2028. it is added that “the Bundesliga side would consider selling him for €10m” [£8.3m] in January, a small fee that seems somewhat low given his importance to Mainz and their position fighting for a spot in Europe next season.
At 28, Amiri’s arrival would very much be one for the present, with the German already in his prime years. However, he could provide strong competition and cover for Morgan Rodgers, who has proved something of a revelation in the early stages of the season, culminating in a first England senior team call up.
Once more, it could be a case of Aston Villa grabbing a bargain to strengthen their squad should they opt to pursue the Mainz star, and it could be just what they need ahead of trying to compete on multiple fronts for the remainder of the campaign.
