Aston Villa eye ex-Man City star with 42 Prem goals as AC Milan move for £26m Brazil international

Aston Villa are on the verge of securing a place in the Champions League for the first time in 41 years and are bracing themselves for a busy summer of ins and outs under Unai Emery.

So far this term, Villa have coped well with the challenges of juggling European and domestic duties, but the Champions League is likely to be a much steeper hurdle to overcome than the Europa Conference League, meaning that squad depth will be crucial if the West Midlands side are to go deep into the tournament.

As it stands, the Villains are particularly short on quality squad depth in the centre forward position, and are heavily reliant on the hugely talented Ollie Watkins, who has fired in an excellent 19 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League this season.

Villa currently lack a viable back-up option to cover for Watkins and their only other centre forward is Jhon Duran, who has scored a combined three Premier League goals in the last two seasons.

Emery is reportedly keen to resolve this issue and has turned his attention to Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who has previous experience playing alongside Villa’s Youri Tielemans, who was signed on a free from the King Power Stadium last summer.

The 27-year-old has vast experience of Premier League and European football, both at Manchester City and now Leicester City, where he played in the Europa League shortly before their relegation. The Nigerian has had a mixed spell since signing for the East Midlands club in 2016 and is currently enduring a frustrating season which has seen him score just six times in 26 appearances across all competitions.

Iheanacho, 27, has rejected an extension at Leicester and is expected to leave the King Power Stadium this summer, making him a top target for Villa, according to reports from Football Insider.

AC Milan hope to sign £26m Aston Villa star

AC Milan are aiming to bolster their defensive options this summer as they attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and runaway champions Inter Milan.

The centre back area is a priority for the Rossoneri and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that Aston Villa star Diego Carlos is among their top targets. The Brazil international has struggled greatly with injuries since signing from Sevilla in 2022, but is now beginning to show his best form in an Aston Villa shirt.

Overall, he has made 34 appearances in all competitions this season and has established himself as a key part of Unai Emery’s plans alongside Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa.

His future is in Emery’s hands, though, given he’s under contract until 2026 and it would likely take a big offer to prise away the 31-year-old.