Aston Villa have endured a brutal summer, with Unai Emery seeing several important members of his squad depart. Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have all moved on, while Ollie Watkins is now also set to leave for Al Hilal.
With Villa suffering a 4-0 defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend, the need for further reinforcements has become even more obvious.
Nicolas Jackson is already on his way from Chelsea, but Emery appears to want another major attacking addition.
And the Villa boss could now have his sights set on a proven Serie A star.
Villa Make Contact with Leao
Aston Villa have emerged as the frontrunners for Rafael Leao, with the Premier League club making contact over a potential deal for the AC Milan forward, according to The Athletic.
Villa are pushing to strengthen their attack before the transfer deadline and are now attempting to beat Turkish giants Galatasaray to the Portugal international.
Talks over Leao have been taking place for several days, with Villa understood to have already made an approach. Galatasaray had previously looked best placed to land the 27-year-old after agreeing personal terms, but the situation has now shifted in Villa’s favour.
The Athletic’s report comes after Matteo Moretto also identified Villa as the current leaders in the race, suggesting Emery’s side have made significant progress in their pursuit.
Moretto explained: “It must be said that at this moment, Aston Villa is in the lead.”
Leao’s availability would represent another major opportunity for Villa following a turbulent summer, particularly with Watkins preparing to depart. The Portuguese forward has experience at the highest level and would give Emery another explosive option in attack.
AC Milan boss Ruben Amorim has previously described Leao as “fantastic”, but his future at San Siro now appears increasingly uncertain.
