Aston Villa now want £17m ‘budget Haaland’ who Leeds almost signed

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Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing RCD Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi, who Leeds United came close to bringing to Elland Road in the January transfer window this year.

According to Il Messaggero, Unai Emery’s side are tracking the 28-year-old Kosovo international ahead of the winter market, with Sevilla also interested in signing Muriqi, who has been dubbed by Spanish football expert Terry Gibson as a ‘budget Erling Haaland’ based on his style of play.

A towering forward who only signed for Mallorca this summer from Lazio, Muriqi has been in sensational form this season for both club and country, with the striker bagging eight goals in La Liga as well as another five in the UEFA Nations League with Kosovo.

As a result, Villa are now interested in signing Muriqi, with Emery keen to add a quality striker to the Villains’ ranks in January as the Premier League side look to climb up the standings after the 2022 FIFA World Cup break.

The move will come as a blow for Leeds, though, who according to La Lazio Siamo Noi made an approach to sign the-then Lazio star in the January window earlier this year. However, the £7m bid was turned down, with Muriqi now valued at €20m (£17m).

Indeed, Muriqi would be quite the coup for Villa based on the striker’s form this season. Moreover, Emery will be sticking the boot at Leeds for their recent failure on trying to bring the striker to Elland Road, with the Birmingham-based club now leading the race to sign the Kosovar star.

Villa signing Muriqi could be one of the deals of the January window

Emery has a lot of work to do in the January market if the Spanish boss is to get Villa up to the standard the former Villarreal manager is used to. Yet signing Muriqi would be a great step in the right direction, with the striker the perfect man to lead the line for the Villa Park side.

As mentioned, comparisons to Haaland and Muriqi’s style of play are no joke, as seen in the number of goals the 28-year-old has scored this season for Mallorca and Kosovo. And for Villa, such a talent alongside the likes of Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins could be a terrifying weapon in the second half of the season.