Why Aston Villa must now break the bank for ‘enormously dangerous’ £35m target

Why Aston Villa must now break the bank for ‘enormously dangerous’ £35m target

Aston Villa need to bolster their squad in this transfer window to boost their title ambitions and they should subsequently break the bank for one of their targets.

Despite their current league position, second in the Premier League and only three points behind Liverpool, it’s expected to be a busy transfer window at Aston Villa.

Unai Emery has a few players he’s looking to offload, including Leander Dendoncker and Calum Chambers, while there are a few positions that need added depth.

Villa are already edging closer to their first signing after having a bid ‘verbally accepted’ for Hellas Verona winger Cyril Ngonge while other attacking reinforcements have been linked this week, including Yannick Edouardo and Albert Gudmundsson.

 

Emery wants more firepower to assist Ollie Watkins, but at the other end of the field, another right-back to provide competition for Matty Cash.

Villa are been keen on Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong and now an update has emerged on their interest in the Dutchman.

Jeremie Frimpong could be ‘too expensive’

In the Athletic’s transfer notebook on Aston Villa, they state that a move for Frimpong would be ‘prohibitively expensive’ and it would significantly eat into the club’s summer budget.

However, it was reported in November by TEAMtalk that Frimpong was keen to move on in 2024 with the club now expecting him to depart, though he won’t come cheap.

The 23-year-old’s release clause of €40 million (£34.6 million) is activated in the summer, according to the report, which suggests the Villans could hold out till the next window to prise him to the Midlands.

With his contract expiring in June 2028, Leverkusen are in no rush to sell him, especially in a campaign they are flying in.

Nonetheless, the acquisition of Frimpong would be an upgrade on Cash as an attacking right back.

Why Aston Villa should break the bank for Frimpong
The Dutch international is having an outstanding season under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso having scored seven and assisted ten goals from wing-back, as per Transfermarkt, this term.

Frimpong is one of the best attacking fullbacks on the planet and has produced the metrics to back up that claim.

According to FBref, the 23-year-old ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s top five leagues in the past year for progressive carries, the top 2% for successful take-ons and the top 2% for non-penalty goals.

The Leverkusen star possesses incredible strength at driving forward, a skillset that has reined in the plaudits with Eurosport journalist Dennis Melzer dubbing him as ‘enormously dangerous’.

If Villa were to get their hands on such a talent, not only would he usher Cash from his role, but he could rekindle his formidable partnership with Moussa Diaby on the right flank.

Before making his record-breaking move to Villa Park in the summer, Diaby formed arguably one of the fastest duos on the planet with Frimpong.

Indeed, acquiring the devastating Dutchman could be the key to getting the best out of their record signing while sending out a message to their title rivals.