All posts by h716a5.icu

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Steven Gerrard is close to bringing in Liverpool’s returning youngster Sheyi Ojo, who spent some time on loan at Reims last season, according to the Mirror. Rangers have now all but completed a loan deal for the 21-year-old winger as the same source claims and Ojo is even expected to meet his new team-mates in their pre-season training as early as next week.

Considering the young Englishman’s quality and some added experience at this early stage of his career, Rangers and Gerrard might have found an outstanding pick this summer. Here are two main reasons why Ojo is an ideal fit for the Ibrox outfit…

Comes with experience

Finding a player who’s only 21 but has already been through the thick and thin side of football is a task easier said than done. But Ojo is seemingly one of those players and that’s definitely one of the reasons why Gerrard is right in making this move happen in the first place.

The youngster has already accumulated appearances in Ligue 1, the Championship and the Premier League, so the move to Scottish football will hardly constitute diving in at the deep end and seeing if he will sink or swim.

Although he left Reims with no goals or assists to his name, he boasted an impressive return for Liverpool at U-23 level, netting a total of 12 goals and assisting a further three in a total of 26 games played.

The quality and the talent are already present in this youngster and Jurgen Klopp appears to know it, with the club reportedly set to hand Ojo a new contract ahead of his loan exit.

Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad got up to at the Football Blogging Awards in the video below…

Ryan Kent replacement/accomplice

Kent’s impressive form was one of the feel-good stories of last season at Ibrox and although he has been strongly linked with a return this summer, there’s no guarantee that’ll happen amid claims more than ten clubs are courting the young winger’s services, including Leeds.

Ojo is an obvious replacement as a fellow wideman of similar age and eagerness to impress who can operate on either flank. But even if Gerrard does manage to bring Kent back for another season, bringing in Ojo as well is still a smart move. The duo come from the same academy setup and have played together 18 times previously for Liverpool at both first team and U23 level.

It’s not a huge amount of games but that little bit of familiarity, thrown in with Gerrard’s understanding of Liverpool’s ethos, could go a long way to helping Ojo hit the ground running in the Scottish capital.

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Loads of Newcastle fans are reacting to some tweets from BBC journalist Saj Chowdhury, who has delivered a positive update on the potential takeover of the club.

According to Chowdhury, the Bin Zayed Group (BZG) have agreed terms with Mike Ashley to purchase the club, and are currently being assessed by the Premier League.

The group must undergo a test to show they are fit and proper owners, though one has to wonder about the validity of such a test considering Ashley has been allowed to destroy the club from within for so many years.

“The club is in state!”… The Playmakers give their first impressions on receiving the sudden news of Rafa Benitez’s departure from Newcastle United. See what they have to say here…

Chowdhury continued with more details, tweeting that Rafael Benitez’s departure from the club will not affect the takeover process, with their “proposal and suitability” still being looked at by the league.

Of course, the news of Benitez’s departure was the last straw for much of the Toon Army, and while a few are feeling positive about the update from Chowdhury, most simply don’t believe a word anymore…

Putting the ‘silly’ in ‘silly season’ this summer so far has undoubtedly been Leeds United. First, we had those ridiculous links with free agent Gianluigi Buffon, but now it’s gone a step too far, which we didn’t think was possible, as there are claims Francesco Totti could wind up at Elland Road.

Before anyone gets excited, this is a player, who no matter how fantastic he was in his prime, is 42-years-old and has been retired since the end of the 2016/17 season. Regardless of that, TuttoMercatoWeb have claimed that Marco Borriello, whilst talking on Sky, claimed that he’s spoken to Totti who mentioned he had an offer to return to playing from an English team.

The reports are that the club in question is Leeds United. Come on, though, let’s just have a look at this one. If Totti does still have some of his superb technical ability, there’s no way he’ll still have his legs and the Championship can be a physically unforgiving league to deal with.

Surely there’s no way that the Italian would consider going back on his 2017 decision to retire and dust off his boots? It wouldn’t be the first time that a player has come out of retirement, and you could argue that if Buffon somehow ends up at Elland Road then it may be another pulling point for Totti, but not a lot else suggests that this might have legs.

The aim for Leeds should be looking into bringing in young guns to freshen up their squad. A few young, lively signings could do the trick for Leeds United, especially after witnessing Jamie Shackleton and Jack Clarke’s impressive form this past season, and there’s no way that Totti can be described as ‘young and lively’ as a player now.

We’re not going to stand here and slate the player, as Totti is a legend of the game. His career saw him score 250 Serie A goals in a 24-year career with Roma, but when he called time on that career it would have been for a reason, so one more season playing at Elland Road would make no sense at all.

After all, the Yorkshire Evening Post even described the transfer rumour as ‘nonsense’.

Leeds fans, surely you agree that a Totti swoop makes no sense? Comment below!

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Aston Villa’s football last season was built on the foundation of hard workers and a reliable attitude.

Therefore, to see a player who arrived in England with apparent attitude problems help his team achieve promotion was rather remarkable.

Anwar El Ghazi was the hero at Wembley, overcoming a rather inconsistent middle part of the season where he frustrated, to issue a sincere reminder of the supreme talent he has in the play-off final.

He popped up with a header at the back post, bundling the ball into the back of the net for a goal rather untypical of the Dutchman.

El Ghazi was the flashy loan addition of last summer, but after admitting his love for the club, he’s now a permanent part of the furniture, becoming their second transfer of the current window.

However, he initially arrived at Villa Park last term as someone who had failed to live up to the hype. He scored four goals for Lille in 2017/18, but ultimately he was still branded disappointing and frustrating.

That so-called hype stemmed from the fact he was once a part of Ajax’s wonderful academy.

We got a glimpse of the calibre of players they produce during their recent run to the Champions League semi-final. Chief amongst them were Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek.

El Ghazi is older than de Jong and de Ligt but, when he broke through in Amsterdam, he attracted a level hype that isn’t too far away from what the aforementioned pairing have made in the past twelve months.

This was a player who had scored seven in 11 U19 Eredivisie matches and would then go onto shine at senior level for the Dutch giants.

For Ajax, he was a rising star, netting 20 goals and claiming ten assists across the course of two seasons in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

It was a period of his career in which he scored against Barcelona in Europe at the Nou Camp and a time when he was linked with a move to Liverpool and Manchester United no less.

So as Aston Villa gear up for a return to the Premier League with El Ghazi in the palm of their hands, it could have been a completely different story.

When he was still a teenager, he was one of the best up and coming players at Ajax. You only need to look at the stats for proof of that.

But focusing on what could have been will be pointless for El Ghazi.

His Premier League chance could have come in 2016 but instead it’ll fall for him in 2019. Arguably, he has never been more ready.

Last term, he scored six goals and picked up six assists for his troubles. The numbers are hardly outstanding, especially when you consider some of Villa’s prior transfer targets in Harry Wilson and Said Benrahma reached 16 and ten goals respectively.

But that being said, El Ghazi has the know-how and experience to perform at the top level.

He is a player who thrives on pressure situations and on the big stages.  The fact he’s scored at Wembley and at the Nou Camp tells you all you need to know.

And with that in mind, the top-flight could be the perfect opportunity for him.

He now has the chance to prove exactly why he was being touted with moves to some of England’s elite clubs in 2015.

At Lille and in the Championship he’s had a period away from the limelight. He’s taken a back seat and unlike players who end up dwindling away in the lower leagues after a promising start to their career, he is back in the big time.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Potential concerns surrounding his consistency, however, need to be swatted away.

Similarly technically gifted players like Helder Costa and Anthony Knockaert tore the Championship apart but have since faded into mediocrity.

Costa scored 15 in the second tier but only has one goal in the Premier League. The latter, meanwhile, has just five after netting 33 for Brighton in the level below.

They are prime examples of players who simply aren’t cut out for that level.

But the difference with El Ghazi is that he is cut out for it. He’s performed at a high level before.

Villa have given him an overriding sense of confidence, and after regaining his purpose with the club, he now has the perfect platform to demonstrate why Liverpool and Man United were once chasing him.

In the Premier League, he has the potential to be their difference-maker.

[ad_pod ]According to Calciomercato, Southampton have made a bid for AC Milan striker Andre Silva, although chances of a deal being made have since been dismissed by a journalist close to the club.

What’s the deal, then?

It was reported that a loan offer with an option to buy for €18m (£16.1m) was submitted by Saints but that the Serie A side deemed it too low.

Calcio Mercato have said that the seven-time European champions were not willing to entertain a fee any lower than €25m (£22.4m).

However, journalist Adam Blackmore, who is close to all the goings on at St Mary’s, took to Twitter to categorically deny any bid had been made and rule out the possibility of the south coast club even trying:

Silva is a completely unnecessary addition

Southampton are right not to be interested in the 23-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Sevilla, as he is not needed at St Mary’s as things stand.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Portuguese international made the most of that time in Spain by scoring 11 goals in 42 appearances in what was the joint-second best return of his career to date.

However, the south coast side have already been extremely active in the summer window, signing Danny Ings permanently for £20m as well as two more forwards in Moussa Djenepo and Che Adams.

With the money they’ve spent, the sensible move now by boss Ralph Hasenhuttl would be to try and claw back some of the money they have invested.

When it comes to whether or not to try and push the boat out for Silva, the Austrian needs to take into account just how many attacking options he already has.

Sofiane Boufal, Charlie Austin, Shane Long, Nathan Redmond, Guido Carillo and Mohamed Elyounoussi are all at his disposal before you even consider their summer arrivals.

Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…

It is reported that Crystal Palace are interested in Austin and that Marseille are in for Boufal, which could potentially free up room for Silva.

But realistically Hasenhuttl has already recruited two new forwards – three if you count Ings – and any more wholesale changes could leave one of Adams, Ings or Silva out of the starting XI.

Clearly the chance to pinch one of Milan’s promising talents would be a statement buy from Southampton.

But they have done their business, and now is the time to count their chickens and prepare for what is to come.

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Some Leeds United fans on Twitter have been left unimpressed following comments from executive director Paul Bell afterhe suggested that the sale of Pontus Jansson to Brentford earlier this month was down to Financial Fair Play regulations.

Bell was speaking to Whites supporters in a Q&A session in Australia as part of the Yorkshire outfit’s tour down under, with one choosing to quiz him about the departure of the Sweden international to a Championship rival.

He responded by saying, via Leeds Live: “There’s a reasonable answer to all of this. You look at the Championship now and Financial Fair Play, or Profitability and Sustainability as it’s now called, has been talked about, talked about, talked about.

“Last year, for the first time, you saw the rules have teeth. You saw Birmingham [City] cheat the rules, bust the bank and they had a horrendous year the year before last, spent way above their means and you saw they got a nine-point penalty.”

So essentially he has put the sale of the centre-back down to FFP, but that doesn’t exactly explain why they only reportedly received an initial £4m for a player that has been so key to them in recent campaigns.

Many Leeds supporters were hardly impressed with Bell’s comments on social media, even when he went on to say that the club is Premier League ready and has sold a record number of season tickets, as well as shifting 72,000 replica kits last year.

One individual bit back sarcastically saying “great to hear we’re ready for the PL except on the pitch” in relation to their squad as things stand, while another said they were “not buying that”.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Manchester United underwhelmed last season as they laboured to sixth place in the Premier League, failing to qualify for the Champions League in the process. As such, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will want to boost his squad ahead of the new campaign with some star quality. Here, we take a look at five players the Red Devils want to sign before the summer transfer window slams shut on August 8th…

United struggled defensively last season, conceding 54 goals in the Premier League. That was the highest total of all of the top six and was a worse record than all but one of the top 10 in England’s top-tier. They have attempted to correct this already by signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace, and they have also been heavily linked to Leicester City centre-back Harry Maguire. The 2018 World Cup star has impressed with the Foxes and his country, which has attracted the attention of the 20-time English champions. The deal could be completed very soon, it is being reported.

Sean Longstaff’s career may only just be beginning, but he has already made a good impression as part of Newcastle United’s midfield. So much so, he has become a strong target for Manchester United this summer. It had been reported that Solskjaer and co were ready to bid £30m at the start of the month for the 21-year-old, but they were then left shocked by the Toon’s £50m valuation of the midfielder. New manager Steve Bruce has stated that he wants to keep the midfielder this summer, so a big bid will be needed from the Old Trafford outfit.

Some say scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football. Netting a hatful from the middle of the park is even harder. So one can only be impressed by the 32 times Bruno Fernandes struck for Sporting Lisbon last season. Such a danger from the midfield is always going to attract interest in the transfer market, and United are reportedly after the 24-year-old. They are understood to have made a €62m (£55.7m) offer for the Portugal international, with talks between the two continuing. Should they be able to capture their man, Fernandes would be a great addition to United’s squad.

PSG’s current domination of Ligue 1 may give the indication that there is a lack of talent in France, but that is not the case. Below the Parisian juggernaut, there are plenty of players who have a big future ahead of them. For example, Nicolas Pepe. The Ivory Coast scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists for Lille last season and even made the Ligue 1 team of the year. Such performances have not gone unnoticed by Manchester United, who are reportedly in advanced discussions for the 24-year-old. Could Pepe be the man to fire the Red Devils back to the top four?

Despite Tottenham reaching the Champions League final last season, Christian Eriksen does not see his future lying in North London. At least that’s what he told Danish outlet Elekstra Bladet. Those comments have piqued the attention of Manchester United, who are interested in taking the former Ajax man to Old Trafford. The Red Devils see the 27-year-old as the perfect replacement should Paul Pogba leave this summer. Of course, this one could be scuppered by Daniel Levy’s potential reluctance to sell to a Premier League rival, but that will not prevent United having their eyes on the attacking midfielder.

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly closing in on a move to sign Real Betis attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.

Earlier this week The Daily Mirror claimed the club could secure the Argentina international for a fee of between £54m and £60m.

And just at the point when optimism surrounding the transfer market was returning to Spurs fans, the rumour mill threw up a link from the footballing stratosphere.

Indeed, according to The London Evening Standard, contact has been made with Juventus over a potential record-breaking swoop for Paulo Dybala.

Any such deal for either Lo Celso or Dybala will follow the acquisitions of Jack Clarke from Leeds United and Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.

The signing of the latter broke the club’s transfer record and a deal for either of the South American targets could well see that broken for the second time in one transfer window.

Spurs, though, have a chequered history when it comes to buying Argentine players.

There are a number of tiers involved for players brought in from an elite footballing nation.

Football FanCast takes a look at the list of Argentines to strut their stuff in north London, excluding Mauricio Pochettino who, obviously, has never pulled on a Spurs shirt.

Still, he’d probably be quite high up if he had.

[snack_break title=”Appalling tier – Federico Fazio”]

Signed from Sevilla for £8m to add some solidity to the Spurs backline, Fazio did pretty much the exact opposite.

He made 32 appearances for the club despite not really knowing how to tackle and also having a turn of pace that makes the largest of container ships look positively rapid.

In those games, Spurs kept a clean sheet just eight times.

Fazio was eventually sold in 2017 after two loan spells, first back to Sevilla and then to Roma, where he made the move permanent.

Spurs haven’t missed him. Not one bit.

[snack_break title=”Rotation tier – Juan Foyth, Paulo Gazzaniga”]

Juan Foyth is a young defender who could yet blossom into an excellent one. At the time of writing, however, he’s made just 25 appearances for the club.

It would be unfair to put him anywhere else on this list.

The same, really, can be said of Paulo Gazzaniga. Signed as a back-up to Hugo Lloris, he has performed reasonably well whenever he has been called upon but that has not happened all that often.

Indeed, he has made a total of 12 appearances for the club, though he is a good shot-stopper and a calm presence between the sticks.

If he continues to play and impress he’ll rise.

[snack_break title=”Polarising tier – Erik Lamela”]

This one is controversial.

Erik Lamela has been almost ever-present in the Spurs squad since his move to the club in the wake of Gareth Bale’s departure.

He is closing in on 200 appearances for the club and yet he has never really nailed down a spot in the starting XI.

He has scored 29 goals and registered 41 assists, but is not anywhere near as important as the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen or Heung-Min Son.

Lamela is a quick and skilful and has an excellent eye for a pass but is still regarded as nothing more than a squad player.

He can’t be any higher here, because his contributions must also be weighed against his £25.8m fee; he has not lived up to it.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

[snack_break title=”Understated tier – Mauricio Taricco”]

Signed by George Graham, Mauricio Taricco was a dependable presence on the left side of the Spurs defence.

He made 143 appearances for the club in total, scoring two goals, and was always steady, allying robustness in the challenge to a desire to sprint forward and join the attack.

He is far from the most spectacular Argentine acquisition a Premier League club has ever made but he never once let Spurs down.

Taricco may not make it into too many of these lists but his contributions should not be forgotten.

[snack_break title=”Legend tier – Ricky Villa, Ossie Ardiles”]

The duo that started it all.

Ricardo Villa came into the club and is remembered for scoring perhaps the best ever goal the club has seen, setting them on their way to victory in the FA Cup final replay of 1981 against Manchester City.

A mazy dribble that saw him beat numerous defenders before slotting home, Villa was awarded the Wembley Goal of the Century award in 2001.

He spent a total of five years in north London, while Osvaldo Ardiles spent a decade at the club, helping them win both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.

Ardiles, of course, came back in 1993, managing the club to a 15th-placed finish.

It is fair to say that his spell as a player was far more successful and he is remembered as a diminutive, skilled midfielder who helped take the club to great heights alongside his Argentine compatriot.

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We are back in 2017 and Paulo Dybala is at the peak of his powers at just 23 years old. Juventus are playing Barcelona and the Catalans won’t soon forget the date – April 11th – and neither will the young Argentine.

The players have barely warmed up properly when the seventh minute strikes and Dybala puts one effort past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to give the Old Lady an early lead.

But he didn’t stop there. Barely a quarter of an hour after that, a beautifully curled shot flies past the German once again to double the lead and Dybala’s tally on the night. He runs towards the crowd, half of his face covered by his signature mask celebration and eyes glistening with joy.

Needless to say, the papers went crazy: “Dybala inspires Juventus”, “Dybala upstages Messi”, “Dybala stars in Champions League quarter-final”. The world was at the Argentine’s feet, and for the first time after a long, long wait – another Guacho was in the spotlight other than Messi. And that was exactly what everyone thought Dybala’s career would look like: from being compared to Messi to maybe one day rivalling him, just as the headlines were prophesying back then in 2017.

And indeed, at that time, it seemed like a fairly easy prediction, especially after that huge game and even more so when he was handed the iconic number ten shirt, which insinuated that from hence on he would be the new face of Juventus. And he was, at least for a while. Following those same steps he took against Barcelona, Dybala continued in that trend, tallying 22 goals and five assists in the 2017/18 season for Juventus in a total of 33 Serie A appearances.

We all suspected that the game against Barcelona in the Champions League would be the beginning of something grand and compelling on a global scale, but practically no one thought it would be the beginning of the end for the Argentine. In fact, that was the absolute peak of his career, with a period of stagnation and arguably regression following on. From being the face of his club to being a player in the shadows, relegated to the supporting cast in the next chapter of Cristiano Ronaldo’s captivating career after he completed his £99.2m move from Real Madrid.

Suddenly the world had forgotten all about Dybala and, seemingly, so had Juventus. And thus, his numbers drastically dropped. A quick comparison of Dybala last two seasons tells the whole story. He played in a similar number of games yet his overall spark last season was merely a polite insight into the type of thundering talent he once was.

But alas, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. The world might have forgotten the Argentine, but his fellow compatriot and Tottenham Hotspur manager, Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t. Or so the latest reports would have us believe.

Spurs are still very much chasing Dybala and it would be easy to conclude, especially after acknowledging his relative downfall, that it is a fool’s errand for the London team. But there’s more to the coveted attacker than initially meets the eye.

Sure, judging by his numbers, the overall output of the Argentine has decreased. But his talent remains. He just lost the spotlight. And who can blame him?

After all, he lost it to arguably the most marketable player on the planet in Ronaldo. Of course, he would assume the role of the face of the team, even if it meant sacrificing Dybala in the process.

And that’s exactly what’s happened in Turin – Dybala was sacrificed to accommodate Ronaldo. The duo did start some games together and there were certain link-ups that made the Juventus fans hopeful they would turn into a formidable tandem. They combined to goal scoring effect on four separate occasions last season but it’s difficult to escape the feeling that Ronaldo’s arrival has somewhat taken the sting out of Dybala’s tail.

But why would Spurs even complete a £64.4m deal and what exactly would he bring to Pochettino’s squad?

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

First of all, we already concluded that when the system suits him and when he is free to express himself, he can shine. A return of 22 goals in the 2017/18 campaign attests to that.

That potency arrived when he was deployed just behind the striker. A quick glance at Juventus’ prefered formations in that campaign reveals that 4-2-3-1 was indeed the most used system and Dybala was just behind Gonzalo Higuain.

In comes Ronaldo and the whole system changes. Now, the Bianconeri prefer the more traditional 4-3-3 and Dybala is relegated to the right-wing in an attacking trident. His form suddenly dips and so do the results. He lost his effect because he was played out of position, much like what happened to Philippe Coutinho when he swapped the Liverpool shirt for the Barcelona one.

But Pochettino’s Spurs are very much reliant on having versatile and oscillating attacking midfielders just behind Harry Kane, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura often taking it in turns to operate in those space just in-front of the opponents defensive unit.

Tottenham predominantly used 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-2-1-2 systems throughout the 2018/19 campaign, though it was not uncommon for Pochettino to utilise a three or five at the back system, depending on personal interpretation.

Sure, Dybala would not necessarily be an automatic starter given Tottenham’s array of talented attacking midfielders, but the magnitude of the proposed deal doesn’t feel conducive to anything other than a major first team role for the masked assassin.

A quick look at the 25-year-old’s numbers compared to Eriksen’s prove that he just might prove to be a good replacement for the Dane if he leaves before the deadline. Sure, his final product is somewhat lacking when compared to the former Ajax playmaker but he makes up for it in key passes and shots per 90 minutes. And we know he can replicate those figures if deployed within his preferred role.

A strike team consisting of Kane, Dybala, Son Heung-Min and Lucas is indeed a rather frightening thought and something Spurs should aspire to cement in the final hours of the window.

Nothing is certain yet but with the deadline looming it would be wise of Daniel Levy to make that final push and ensure next season we see the strongest Spurs attack yet.

And then who knows, maybe Pochettino might win that elusive first trophy.

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[ad_pod ]This article is part ofÂFootball FanCast’sÂTransfer FocusÂseries, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…According to Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett, Aston Villa’s transfer activity in this window is far from done with deadline day rapidly approaching as it is thought the club could revisit a previous target in Brentford’s Neal Maupay.

What’s the word?

Villa boss Dean Smith has signed no fewer than 12 new players for a combined fee totalling well over £120m – and it appears their business isn’t over yet as Dorsett reports they still have a number of targets in mind.

One of which is Maupay, who Smith knows all too well having been the man to bring the Frenchman to England in the summer of 2017.

The 22-year-old has made 95 appearances at Griffin Park, scoring 41 goals as well as laying on 14 assists after joining from Saint-Etienne in a £1.6m transfer.

Rumours linking Villa to the Brentford ace have been circulating all summer with it likely to rumble on until deadline day on Thursday.

It is thought that Brentford would be after £20m for their goal-laden striker.

The club have already broken their record transfer fee by bringing Wesley Moraes to Villa Park from Club Brugge for a fee of £22m.

Can the pressure be eased on Wesley?

Villa could do with adding another option up front before the start of the Premier League season.

Aside from Wesley, their attacking fortunes lie in the hands of Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan. The former has given the club a decent return in the Championship, ignoring the 2017-18 campaign where he was often absent through injury.

He’s scored 47 goals in 139 appearances in the second division and at the age of 29, that may well be his level.

Hogan, on the other hand, struggled to break into Villa’s squad – making just six substitute appearances – and was sent out on loan to promotion winners Sheffield United, where he also failed to get much game time, starting just five matches.

Villa will need an additional striker to either play back-up to Wesley or partner him up top next season and Maupay seems like an ideal candidate.

Last season, he bagged one less than Villa’s loan star Tammy Abraham with 25 goals in the Championship.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It will be Wesley’s first season playing in England let alone the Premier League and if you add to that the weight of being the club’s record transfer, there will certainly be a lot of pressure on the young 22-year-old.

Whether he can handle it or not remains to be seen but his transition can be aided by bringing in someone of Maupay’s quality.

He may lack Premier League experience too but he has been in England for two years now and has shown that he’s capable of adapting to new conditions.

In his first season at Brentford, he scored 13 goals in 46 appearances which was also his first venture outside of his home country.

The former France U21 international is a viable option in his own right too. The aforementioned goals return only goes some way in proving that.

At 5 foot 7, he would be a nice compliment to the 6 foot 3 Wesley or even a ‘plan B’ option.

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