The agent of former West Ham United and Everton striker Enner Valencia is playing down a potential Premier League return with Aston Villa, telling Globo Esporte that the Ecuador international wants to stay at Fenerbahce.
Forget Erling Haaland. You’d be hard pressed to find a single centre-forward in European football with a better goals-per-game record than a 33-year-old who is making the phrase ‘ageing like a fine wine’ his own in Istanbul.
Valencia has 20 goals and four assists in just 15 Super Lig starts. Did we mention he scored three times at the Qatar World Cup too?
The veteran’s Fenerbahce contract expires in the summer. But, despite interest from a number of clubs on both sides of the Atlantic, he is ready to commit himself to the Turkish giants for at least another season.
And that will be music to the ears of Fener supporters awaiting a first league title since 2014.
Aston Villa and Barcelona among Enner Valencia’s admirers
“Our goal is to renew with Fenerbahce,” says agent Gonzalo Vargas. “And we are on a good path.”
According to the Sunday Mirror (12th February, page 73), Aston Villa have opened talks with Valencia regarding a potential return to England. Villa are, it seems, willing to overlook the Ecuador captain’s far-from prolific spells at West Ham and Everton.
It would take something rather special for Valencia to turn his back on Fenerbahce, however. Take Barcelona, for instance.
“If you are on the radar of a club like Barcelona, you are doing your job properly. It is not an easy task to get on the radar of such clubs,” Valencia beams; Vargas confirming that the La Liga giants had come calling in January.
“When I saw the news, I thought they were making fun of me. I said; ‘I guess it’s some kind of joke’. Then I started seeing the news everywhere.”
Unless Barcelona plan to renew their interest in the summer, you can expect to see Valencia leading the chase for the Super Lig’s Golden Boot again in 2024.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are expected to target a new number nine in the off-season. Danny Ings’ departure leaves the Midland giants short of depth in the final third. That is despite Jhon Duran’s impressive start after arriving from the MLS.
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