Aston Villa: “Messi-esque” £43m target could be the biggest star since Grealish

Unai Emery could add another forward to his side before the close of the window in an audacious swoop.

Aston Villa are looking at strengthening their attack before the transfer window closes, following the long-term absence of Emiliano Buendia.

Recent reports have now revealed who they could target as a result of his injury.

The Argentine was finding form in pre-season, before being ruled out for the foreseeable future due to sustaining a freak anterior cruciate ligament blow in training.

Acting fast in the transfer market, manager Unai Emery and president of football operations Monchi have landed Nicolo Zaniolo on loan, however, new reports are pointing to an even bigger fish that could be a new target.

Who could Aston Villa sign this summer?

With Buendia out for some time, Emery has been linked with another winger, despite Zaniolo only arriving on loan from Galatasaray last week.

A report this week has suggested that the Villans are in the race to capture an exciting talent, in a move that could be one of the club’s biggest in recent years.

According to journalist Jose Alvarez on El Chiringuito TV, Villa are part of a heated race with Tottenham Hotspur to sign FC Barcelona sensation Ansu Fati, who could leave the club due to financial pressure and lack of game time.

“Tottenham and Aston Villa are interested in ANSU FATI,” he said.

It’s said that the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who is well-known in the Midlands, is pushing the 20-year-old for a €50m (£43m) move to the English top-flight.

“Mendes is offering the Premier for €50m,” the reporter added.

How good is Ansu Fati?

From making his Barcelona debut at 16 years of age to being tipped to become the eventual heir to Lionel Messi, Fati has had a whirlwind career in the spotlight at such a young age.

Following the formidable Argentine’s departure, the Spaniard took the no.10 shirt at the Nou Camp after registering a phenomenal breakthrough season in which he netted seven goals in the 2019/20 campaign.

Born in 2002, it’s hard to believe that the product of La Masia has already accumulated 111 appearances for the Blaugrana, scoring 29 goals and registering 11 assists at senior level.

Injury woes and fluctuation of the pecking order has left the Spaniard’s future in doubt at his boyhood club, especially with reference to the financial pressures Barcelona are under.

Speaking of his future, Xavi admitted that “it will depend a lot on Financial Fair Play” whether the starlet will remain in Catalonia, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano.

For Villa, the prospect of signing Ansu Fati could be resounding, in a player who has the potential to be the club’s biggest talent with a calibre that matches that of Jack Grealish.

The Englishman made the £100m move from Villa Park to Manchester City in 2021, leaving with 213 senior appearances and 32 goals under his belt for his boyhood club.

Having been lauded as a sensation with “Messi-esque returns” by scout Jacek Kulig, the youngster was praised by the man himself back in 2019, where the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted that the then-teenager caught his “attention from the first time” he trained with him.

Such compliments coming from arguably the greatest player the game has witnessed reinforces just how significant Fati arriving at Villa could be.

The Villans have a wave of talent in their arsenal, however, capturing the signing of the Barcelona gem could surpass the aura that Grealish left at Villa Park based on the work accomplished already in his budding career.

Last season, the 20-year-old whiz contributed to 11 goals for Barca, scoring seven and assisting four despite only making 12 starts and averaging just 39 minutes per game in LaLiga, via Sofascore.

If Emery and Monchi can see off competition from north London for the Spaniard’s signature, it would surely mark the beginning of a new wave of stardom in the Midlands.