Aston Villa are showing an interest in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah having entered the final six months of his contract in North London.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that Villa are discussing bringing in another striker.
Villa have splashed out in the last two summer transfer windows to sign Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings.
However, the pair have yet to really strike up a connection in Villa’s attack and Steven Gerrard is considering another striker.
Arsenal man Nketiah is one target at Villa Park whilst other strikers in Europe are also on Villa’s radar.
Nketiah is an interesting target given that he is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season.
Nketiah has already made it clear that he wants to leave Arsenal this summer and won’t be signing a new deal.
Arsenal seemingly don’t intend to let Nketiah go this month, but Villa may yet try and change their minds.
Nketiah, 22, hasn’t started a single Premier League game this season and his three substitute appearances amount to just 38 minutes.
Five goals in four League Cup outings has shown Nketiah’s quality in front of goal, and other clubs may be able to give him first-team football.
Villa could be one of them, but you need to ask whether Nketiah would play regularly with Villa.
Considerable funds have been spent on Ings and Watkins; Villa need to find a way to get the best out of both players.
Adding another striker who wants a key role would leave Gerrard juggling three goalscorer in a system that may only use one striker.
Gerrard did have a similar situation at Rangers, but convincing Nketiah to make that gamble may be a tough sell.
Other Premier League clubs may be in a better position to sign Nketiah, branded ‘extraordinary’ by Mikel Arteta, but keep an eye on Villa making a move of their own.
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