Aston Villa have held talks for AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao and also submitted an offer for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, a report has revealed.
It has been a huge summer of transition for Aston Villa, as they have brought in around £257million in sales by letting stars such as Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne leave. Villa have in turn signed Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Alejandro Garnacho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins could be the next big names to leave Villa Park. The Villans have made Suzuki their new No 1, with Martinez once again looking for a transfer, while Watkins is pushing to join Al-Hilal.
So far, Villa have rejected four bids from Al-Hilal for Watkins, the latest of which was worth £34m.
Unai Emery is targeting Leao and Mateta to add extra firepower to his attack, according to our friends at TEAMtalk.
Villa have ‘held talks with intermediaries over a potential deal for Leao‘, who is poised to leave Milan this summer.
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Leao previously established himself as one of Serie A’s finest wingers, but he and Milan are ready to part ways.
The Rossoneri want an initial €50m (£42m) for Leao, rising to €60m (£51m) through add-ons.
Galatasaray remain the most serious suitors for the Portugal ace, though Villa have now entered the frame.
TEAMtalk also confirm that Villa have sent Palace a bid for wantaway centre-forward Mateta, but it has been rejected.
According to David Ornstein, Villa’s proposal landed ‘far below’ Palace’s valuation of the Frenchman.
Aston Villa hunt Mateta amid contract dispute
Mateta is currently in a contract dispute with Palace, arguing that the final year of his deal is invalid.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also understood to be monitoring the 29-year-old’s situation.
Villa do have other strikers on their radar, should they fail to snare Mateta.
They have made Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson a key target as Emery knows the player well from their time together at Villarreal.
Villa are competing with Atletico Madrid for Jackson, whom Chelsea value at £65m.
The Senegal international is set to leave Chelsea permanently after returning from a loan spell at Bayern Munich.
Villa have also shortlisted Joshua Zirkzee, as Man Utd are open to offers for the 25-year-old.
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