Aston Villa have made an ambitious approach for Inter Milan misfit Christian Eriksen although there’s a belief the Denmark star is aiming higher than the Premier League outfit, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.
Consider this for a moment. Would Eriksen actually be a guaranteed starter in Dean Smith’s midfield?
On current form, possibly not.
While Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and the sparkling Jack Grealish have been all but unplayable at times this season, Eriksen has managed just four starts – and no goals – in the blue-and-black stripes of Inter Milan.
The former Tottenham playmaker has failed to find a place in Conte’s restrictive 3-5-2 system, with the Nerazzuri boss preferring a pair of industrious number eights at the expense of an orthadox number 10.
And, according to Inter chief executive Beppe Marotta, the Scudetto challengers won’t stand in Eriksen’s way if he wants to leave the San Siro just 12 months after arriving to much fanfare.
Corriere dello Sport claims Aston Villa have expressed an interest, along with West Ham, in the hope Eriksen can rediscover his Midas touch back in England.
But the soon-to-be 29-year-old is aiming for something bigger and supposedly better.
Despite Villa’s superb form this season, leaving Inter for a club that only fought off relegation on the final day of 2019/20 may feel like something of a step down.
A potential move to a Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or even Manchester United feels distinctly unlikely, however, although Paris Saint-Germain may be a possibility given the appointment of ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and the lack of creative midfielders at the Ligue 1 champions’ disposal.
Eriksen is available for £25 million (FC Inter News) – a bargain fee if he can rediscover the masterful form that once saw him labelled a “world class” talent.
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