Aston Villa submit first £30m proposal to sign “superb” Copa America star.
Now closing in on Ian Maatsen, Aston Villa have reportedly also submitted their first proposal to sign Unai Emery’s next potential arrival in the form of a current Copa America star.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans have already had a busy summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Douglas Luiz is supposedly headed to Juventus in a trade that also includes Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea. The acquisition of Barrenechea in particular could go a long way towards replacing Emery, but the Brazilian will definitely be missed greatly.
Villa has a busy summer ahead of them as they want to repeat their incredible Champions League qualification with more upsets on the big stage the following year. Of course, losing Luiz is a terrible place to start when trying to do that, but connections to a specific Copa America player can portend future developments.
Spain-based sources claim that in addition to Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa has offered €35 million (£30 million) to recruit Yan Couto from Manchester City this summer. Similar to Villa’s Premier League top four finish, the right-back’s season-long standout at Girona last year helped the La Liga team qualify for the Champions League.
Couto’s future may not be resolved until the end of the campaign while Brazil is playing in the Copa America. After that, Villa may intensify their efforts to sign a rival or a replacement for Matty Cash. Nevertheless, it’s unclear if Manchester City will sell to a contender in the top four.
“Superb” Couto can compete with Cash
Maatsen might arrive soon, and Couto could then present Emery with two new full-backs who are prepared to challenge Lucas Digne and Matty Cash for a starting position. The latter could have to fight alongside his colleague as Villa looks to assemble the kind of roster depth required to contend with opponents on all fronts in the upcoming campaign. Even at the young age of 22, Couto is more than capable of replacing Cash.
| League stats 23/24 (via FBref) | Yan Couto | Matty Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 2 |
| Assists | 8 | 2 |
| Tackles Won | 34 | 31 |
| Ball Recoveries | 153 | 110 |
Couto, who created more than Cash did the previous season, would only help players like Ollie Watkins more in the upcoming campaign while preserving the defensive excellence that Cash shown all season.
During his stay in Spain, the Brazilian has gained a lot of admirers, including Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, who called the right-back a “superb talent” on X.
Now that Villa have apparently made their initial offer, they must wait to see how eager Manchester City is to let go of their promising right-back this summer.
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