US international Keaton Parks has already made four Primeira Liga appearances for Benfica to reportedly catch the eye of Championship outfit Aston Villa.
It seems that Aston Villa are already preparing for 2019/20.
According to Record, the Championship club are interested in acquiring the latest American soccer starlet, Keaton Parks.
Born in Plano, Texas, the 20-year-old is a gifted central midfielder who has already won one senior cap for the USMNT. But rather than hone his trade in the MLS, Parks made the rather unique move to Portugal in 2015 and is now at Benfica after a spell at Ligo Pro outfit Varzim.
The youngster is highly regarded at the Estadio da Luz, making six appearances for Rui Vitoria’s side in 2017/18, four of those coming in the league as Benfica’s domestic stranglehold was ended by Porto.
And it is reported that his rise has caught the eye of Aston Villa, who have allegedly asked whether Parks holds a European passport.
Aston Villa can lay claim to one of the most impressive youth systems in English football right now. The likes of Keinan Davis, Andre Green and Callum O’Hare made an impressive impact on the first-team in recent months with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Jake Doyle-Hayes among those tipped to step up next season.
It remains to be seen whether Parks will eventually join them at Villa Park. As reported by Record, Parks would only arrive in England in 2019 should a deal be reached.
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