Aston Villa are at the front of the queue to land an exciting teen talent for Unai Emery to turn into another gem, according to recent reports.
Aston Villa flying high in the Champions League
A third consecutive win in the Champions League put Aston Villa top of the new-look league format after three games, handing Unai Emery’s side an excellent chance of progressing into the last 16 without having to play an additional knockout clash.
A top eight finish in their first season back in Europe’s Premier competition since the 1980s would be a massive achievement for Emery, who arrived with the club only just above the relegation zone just three years ago. But it is looking increasingly possible as they swept aside Bayern Munich and Bologna in what has been an immense start to the season for the Villans.
Aston Villa’s Champions League league group games
Opponent (Home/Away)
Date
Club Brugge (Away)
6th November 2024
Juventus (Home)
27th November 2024
RB Leipzig (Away)
10th December 2024
Monaco (Away)
21st January 2025
Celtic (Home)
29th January 2025
They have paired that success with excellent form in the Premier League, aided by supersub turned superstar Jhon Duran, who has come off the bench to grab vital points for the Villains.
The upshot is that Emery’s side find themselves fourth in the Premier League after eight games, level on points with Arsenal and just four points off early pace-setters Liverpool, with their only loss having come against Mikel Arteta’s side.
Now, reports suggest that they are already eyeing January reinforcements, and are one of the sides leading the race to land a teenage talent.
Aston Villa front of the race for Toure
That comes as the Villans are the latest side to be linked with a move to sign teenage talent Bazoumana Touré. who currently plays in the Swedish top flight with Hammarby. The Ivorian has caught the eye with a series of dazzling appearances, grabbing seven goals and three assists in 20 outings for his side.
In fact, Elijah Michiels, a video scout for Swedish giants Malmo, took to X to dub him a “top dribbler”, while Rising Stars XI added that the Ivorian is “a very strong winger in 1vs1 situations, very fast and great in linking up with his teammates”.
Hammarby director Mikael Hjelmberg recently admitted that scouts have been watching his side’s talented winger, suggesting that a deal could be fixed sooner rather than later.
“We need to plan for a future without him. Then if it happens this winter, next summer or even further than that – I don’t think so, we’ll see. But the longer we get to keep him the better.”
He has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Wolves, but according to the latest update to surface from Fotboll Skanalen [via Sport Witness], it is Aston Villa, Brighton and West Ham who are ‘leading the hunt’ for the Hammarby gem.
It is claimed that it is this trio “who are out in front at this moment in time”, with a mooted price tag of around £6m. Given Emery’s success with Duran since his under-the-radar arrival, could he repeat the trick with a future star from the Swedish top flight?