Aston Villa secured another European victory on Thursday evening, defeating Lille 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League ahead of their second leg.
Ollie Watkins was the hero yet again, scoring his 25th goal of a truly wonderful season, and it could well power Villa into the semi-finals of a European competition
Unai Emery has relied on the Englishman often this season. With the summer transfer window fast approaching, could he aim to sign another centre-forward who could take the pressure off of him?
Aston Villa transfer news
According to reports in the Italian media (via GIVEMESPORT), Villa are seemingly showing interest in a deal to sign Bolgona striker Joshua Zirkzee this summer
It has also been reported elsewhere that he could cost up to €70m (£60m) should Emery make a concrete effort to secure his signature, and they are not the only team interested in the centre-forward.
The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool are all clubs who could make a move for the Bologna gem, and given their vast resources, would all count themselves as favourites.
Much will depend on whether Villa secure qualification for the Champions League, but if they do, then the club could be in a solid position to bring him to the Premier League.
Joshua Zirkzee’s statistics for Bologna this season
The former Bayern Munich striker made the move to Serie A at the start of last season after scoring four goals in just 17 appearances for the German giants.
Although he only found the back of the net on two occasions in the Italian top flight during 2022/23, he has been a revelation this term.
Ten goals and four assists have come in Serie A, with a further three goal contributions arriving in the Coppa Italia, indicating how impressive a campaign he is having.
His manager, Thiago Motta, has already hailed the striker for his qualities earlier this season, saying: “‘It was an excellent goal from a player with extraordinary qualities. He scored a similar goal in training. Joshua is very talented, but I want to emphasize that he also works very hard for it.”
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