An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in adding to their squad during the upcoming summer transfer window…
What’s the latest on Marcus Thuram to Aston Villa?
According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Villans are one of a number of clubs pursuing a potential deal to sign Marcus Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach as NSWE attempt to improve Unai Emery’s side.
The report claims that he is on the ‘agenda’ of a host of European clubs heading into the summer, including the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid.
It has already been confirmed, via Sport1, that the France international will not be extending his contract with the German side and will become a free agent at the end of the season.
Victor Osimhen 2.0
One of the most in-form players in European football right now is Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and NSWE could land the Villa head coach his own version of the Nigerian star by winning the race for Thuram.
The Serie A marksman has plundered 20 goals and three assists in 20 starts in the Italian top-flight and Champions League combined this season and has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.27 in his domestic league.
Per FBref, Osimhen and Thuram are both similar to each other and the Villans could land their own prolific right-footed goalscorer by landing the Gladbach dynamo.
Both players rank in the top 12% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days in non-penalty xG, non-penalty goals, and shots total per 90.
This suggests that they are both among the best on the continent when it comes to getting into excellent scoring positions, which is shown by the high non-penalty xG they generate per 90, and finishing when they are presented with opportunities.
Thuram has scored 11 times and assisted three in 19 starts for Gladbach in the Bundesliga this season, along with three goals and one assist in two DFB-Pokal outings. This means that the forward has been directly involved in 18 goals in 21 starts for the German outfit, which is not far off Osimhen’s 23 in 20 for Napoli.
The £54k-per-week French striker, who was hailed as “clinical” earlier this season by journalist Raj Chohan, also still has time on his hands to grow and develop in the years to come.
He turns 26 later this year and will be heading into the prime years of his career. This means that Villa could bring in a player who is on the up and ready to give the best of his ability, rather than someone who is either still learning their trade or heading past their best.
Therefore, NSWE could land Emery his own version of Osimhen, 24, by signing a ‘clinical’ goalscorer who is at a good age and has proven himself in a major European league.