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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is a ‘big fan’ of Lyon striker Moussa Dembele as the club eye up a potential free transfer, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Two options
Villa parted ways with Danny Ings last month but brought in teenager Jhon Duran. That has left Emery with just Ollie Watkins and Duran as his only senior centre-forward options, with youngster Cameron Archer currently out on loan with Middlesborough.
Watkins has scored in each of his last four Premier League games, but it looks as if more attacking additions are on the agenda ahead of the summer.
The Latest: Transfer news
FI shared a new update regarding Villa and Dembele, with the forward out of contract at the end of the current campaign. They report that Emery is a ‘big fan’ of the 26-year-old, with Villa one of four Premier League clubs keen on his services.
A move to Southampton has already been described as off, whereas switches to Bournemouth or Leeds depend on their Premier League status, so Villa look best placed at this moment in time to secure a transfer.
The Verdict: Good move
You’d expect that Dembele still has plenty left to offer at the age of 26 and could be just what Villa are after to rival Watkins and Duran in both the short and long run.
The Frenchman has netted 140 goals in 322 games for Fulham, Celtic and Lyon, with journalist Bertrand Latour describing him as a ‘scoring machine’ back in 2021.
Dembele scored an impressive 21 Ligue 1 goals last season, so he could be a shrewd addition in a cut-price deal to give Emery another quality option ahead of his first full season in charge.
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