Hellas Verona have reportedly accepted a near-£9 million bid from Aston Villa with Cyril Ngonge potentially set to join the Premier League’s dark horses this month.
Presuming that Cyriel Ngonge becomes an Aston Villa player – something which looks increasingly likely after Unai Emery’s side reached an agreement with his current employers – then you can expect to see this goal replayed pretty regularly over social media in the coming days or weeks.
Few players in European football would even attempt it, let alone pull it off. The scorpion kick stunner which put Groningen ahead in an Eredivisie clash against AZ Alkmaar in October 2021 – leaving his team-mates open mouthed and wide-eyed – certainly gave Olivier Giroud and Henrikh Mkhitaryan a run for their money.
Aston Villa hope to sign Cyril Ngonge
Clearly, Ngonge has an eye for the spectacular.
And while he has not produced anything quite so headline-grabbing, so Puskas Award-troubling, in Serie A, a tally of five goals in 17 appearances for a relegation-threatened Hellas Verona side is not to be sniffed at.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Hellas have accepted a bid of nearly £9 million from Aston Villa.
Ngonge, the report adds, is keen to stay in Italy and remains tempted by the chance to join Fiorentina instead. The Belgian only arrived a year ago, joining on a free transfer from Groningen.
Aston Villa, however, are one of the most upwardly-mobile clubs in European football. The chance to hone his talents under Unai Emery and join a side who could yet challenge for the Premier League title – or qualify for the Champions League for that matter – will surely be a source of some temptation for Ngonge.
“I said at the beginning of the season that I saw a boy who is growing from every point of view, including in his character and behaviour,” Hellas Verona sporting director Sean Sogliano told Tuttomercatoweb in December.
“He trains well and wants to improve. He can play multiple roles, he has similar characteristics to (Italy star Domenico) Berardi, someone who has proven to be a champion.”
Winger must decide on England switch
Versatility is certainly one of Ngonge’s strong suits. The 23-year-old former Belgium youth international has played on the right, on the left, as a centre-forward as as an attacking midfielder during his time in Italy and the Netherlands.
He could also bring an end to Aston Villa’s long-running pursuit of a new winger. Hellas’ 10 million euro asking price is far less than Villa would have had to pay for, say, Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams.
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