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Transfer: Aston Villa representatives meet with Super Eagles striker ahead of a potential move

Iheanacho will leave Leicester City at the end of the season when his contract expires, bringing his seven-year stint at the club to an end.

Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations - Semi Final - Nigeria v South Africa - Stade de la Paix, Bouake, Ivory Coast - February 7, 2024 Nigeria's Kelechi Iheanacho scores a penalty to win the penalty shootout REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Former Manchester City striker, Kelechi Promise Iheanacho, has met with Aston Villa representatives ahead of a summer move to the Villa Park, Soccernet.ng reports.

Unai Emery’s men have been exceptional in the English Premier League this season and have their gaze fixed on a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Iheanacho’s contract expires in June, and after rejecting a new contract with Leicester City, the Nigerian International is set to end his seven-year stint at the club.

Aston Villa have held initial talks with the player ahead of a summer transfer swoop, considering he won’t be under contract for much longer, opening up the possibility of bringing him to the club on a free contract.

Aston Villa’s interest in Kelechi Iheanacho

Villa are keen on signing Iheanacho, considering it’ll cost them nothing to sign him, aside from his wages.  The 27-year-old striker who joined Leicester from Manchester City in 2017 for a fee of £25 million, scored five goals in ten starts for Leicester City in the EFL Championships.
However, there is competition from other Premier League teams as Crystal Palace and Everton are also keen on bringing the Nigerian to their respective clubs.
Soccernet.ng earlier reported that Iheanacho rejected a new contract offer from Leicester as he wants a fresh challenge. Villa have been keeping tabs on the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner, and are convinced in his abilities to lead the line in Ollie Watkins absence.

According to Birmingham UK, Monchi, President of Football Operations at Villa, is said to have spoken with Iheanacho’s camp as recently as Thursday, May 9. The meeting reportedly occurred in Greece before the Villans’ Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against Olympiacos.

Should Kelechi Iheanacho move to Everton?

If Iheanacho is fine with helping off the bench and featuring in cup competitions, then it makes perfect sense to move to Villa Park, considering he’ll be playing in Europe and with a team of talented players like Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby and Emiliano Martinez.

Should playing time remain the preference of the Super Eagles forward, he’ll have to look elsewhere as Ollie Watkins is a fan favourite at Aston Villa, and has been brilliant in front of goal this season, scoring 19 in the English Premier League, alongside providing 12 assists.

This post was last modified on May 13, 2024 12:01 pm

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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Tags: Aston VillaCrystal PalaceEFL ChampionshipsEnglandEplEvertonJamie VardyKelechi IheanacoLeicester CityNigeriaPatson DakaSuper Eagles
8 months ago

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