Aston Villa are pushing to sign a Barcelona star in the summer in what would be yet another big coup for the West Midlands club, according to a new report.
Villa trio help England beat Albania
Aston Villa stars Ezri Konsa, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers all played a part as England began Thomas Tuchel’s tenure with a victory at Wembley.
The Three Lions beat Albania 2-0 courtesy of goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane to kickstart their qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a win.
Related
England: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying info, format, fixtures & more
England are set to get their World Cup campaign up and running under Thomas Tuchel.
While it was generally a positive night for England and Tuchel, the German coach, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October, was critical of Rashford – making his first England appearance in over a year – and his fellow winger Phil Foden after the game.
“Both of our wingers were not as impactful as normally they can be, as they normally are in club football,” said Tuchel, as per Sky Sports. “I’m not sure why we struggled to bring the ball quicker to them, not sure why it took us so long.
“We lacked a bit of runs off the ball, and not enough passing and dribbling, not enough driving with the ball, not aggressive enough towards the goal.
“They were decisive in training, that’s why we picked them.”
Villa want Torres
While Rashford may have come under fire from Tuchel for his performance for England, the Manchester United loanee has been in stellar form for Villa since joining the club on loan from Manchester United in February.
However, with his future currently up in the air and a return to Old Trafford at the end of the season still on the cards, it seems Villa are already eyeing up a replacement for the Englishman in the form of Barcelona star Ferran Torres.
According to a new report from Spain, Villa are one of a number of Premier League clubs who have expressed an interest in signing the former Manchester City forward in the summer amid what has been a superb season for the player.
Torres, who was recently described by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick as “quality”, has scored 13 goals for Barca this season, and the Spanish publication claims that Villa have been closely monitoring his progress and are now in the driving seat to land him later this year.
Manager Unai Emery is said to have given the green light to the deal, feeling that Torres would fit perfectly into his attacking lineup, though it’s thought only an offer of between €35-40m (£29-34m) would be enough to prise him away from Catalonia.
