Transfer: Aston Villa rekindle interest in former Manchester City forward

Kelechi Iheanacho joined Manchester City in 2014 after winning the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria.

Seven-time English Premier League winners, Aston Villa, have rekindled their pursuit of former Manchester City and Leicester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old has spent the past seven years at the King Power Stadium, winning the FA Cup, FA Community Shield and the EFL Championship titles, but ended his stay with The Foxes in search of playing time.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are looking for an ideal backup for English forward, Ollie Watkins, to compete for playing time, and to also step in as they have a lot of games to play in the coming season due to their involvement in the UEFA Champions League.

The West Midlands club were linked with Iheanacho earlier this summer, but talks have cooled over the past few weeks, with nothing concrete on the free agents’ table.

As per Birmingham Live, Iheanacho’s move to Villa Park has resurfaced as Unai Emery’s side proceed into the final six weeks or so of the transfer window.

The one-time UEFA Champions League winners have been heavily involved in the transfer market, making six signings, not taking into account, the returning pair of Cameron Archer and Kosta Nedeljkovic, nor does it include the impending arrival of Amadou Onana.

Still, more exits are expected in the coming days with reports circling Colombian striker, Jhon Duran, who has been linked with Chelsea and West Ham. Villa are open to allowing the 20-year-old leave for free if they were to receive a suitable offer.

Signing forwards who are proven and possess adequate on-the-ball quality, but who are equally content to play second fiddle is Villa’s approach to the transfer market. Iheanacho is seen as an ideal figure who ticks the box.

The ex-City man spent seven years at Leicester City, making 95 goal contributions in 232 appearances for Leicester City. He’s also the first man to have a goal awarded by the Video Assistant referee in English football.

 

 

This post was last modified on July 21, 2024 6:23 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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