Raul de Tomas
Aston Villa are thought to be interested in signing Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas this summer.
The Lowdown: De Tomas profiled
The Spain international is 27 years of age and can play as a centre-forward or second striker.
He has been with Espanyol since 2020 and is under contract until 2026, sharing the same agency as four Aston Villa players. De Tomas has described himself as a ‘pacey’ player and has scored 107 senior goals throughout his career.
The forward is valued at a career-high £22.5m by Transfermarkt, and it looks as if NSWE and Johan Lange are keen on bringing him to the Midlands.
The Latest: Villa linked with De Tomas
According to reports from Spain, Villa are one of four Premier League clubs who are interested in De Tomas’ services.
They claimed that Steven Gerrard has an eye on the player, although Villa would be looking to lower Espanyol’s asking price after already signing Philippe Coutinho and Diego Carlos from La Liga clubs this summer.
Which Villa signing has excited you the most?
Coutinho
Olsen
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Carlos
The Verdict: Impressive few years
A new forward to challenge Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins is seemingly on the radar at Villa Park, so De Tomas could be among a number of attacking targets in mind.
He has enjoyed two impressive goalscoring campaigns in recent years, netting 40 goals in his last 71 league games since the beginning of the 2020/21 season.
De Tomas backed up 23 goals in the Spanish second tier with 17 in La Liga last season, so if the price is right, he could be the perfect third centre-forward at Villa alongside Ings and Watkins.
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