Aston Villa tipped to rival Newcastle and West Ham for £35m-rated Premier League star striker

Aston Villa may have added some attacking options on deadline day, but with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio both only arriving on loan, the club are still looking for ways to address the void left by the departure of Jhon Duran on a more permanent basis.

Rashford’s loan from Manchester United includes an option to buy the player for £40m but it remains to be seen whether the forward can recapture his past form, while there is no purchase option included in the short term deal for PSG’s Asensio who is, in any case, not a natural striker and more likely to play a supporting role out wide or in the number ten position.

That means that there is every chance that Ollie Watkins could be the only recognised striker on the club’s books come the summer – but a new report from Caught Offside suggests that at least one striker could be on their shortlist should he be required.

They claim that Villa are among several Premier League sides interested in striking a deal for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has already scored 10 Premier League goals this season after hitting 16 for the Eagles over the course of the last league campaign.

Mateta on the radar – but other clubs are circling

The report claims that Palace would want between £30m and £35m for the 27-year-old striker, who has firmly established himself as Oliver Glasner’s first-choice central striker over the course of the past year.

Villa are one of many teams who are monitoring him, according to the article, alongside Chelsea, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Bournemouth. There is also interest from a number of continental sides.

More controversially, Mateta is the subject of interest from Lyon, who are owned by John Textor, who also owns a significant minority stake in Palace. Lyon have been provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 due to their mounting debts, although Textor has assured supporters of the French giants that he expects to be able to meet the financial obligations required to avoid their demotion.

Villa searching for a striker despite Rashford arrival

The arrival of Rashford will at least provide a temporary solution to the departure of Duran, who left Villa for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in January for a fee believed to be worth an initial €77m (£64m).

That leaves Watkins and Rashford as the only strikers in Emery’s squad for the rest of the season, with the club competing on three fronts. They will play in the last 16 of the Champions League next month and have also progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with Sunday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Winter signing Donyell Malen started up front in Watkins’ place against Spurs with the England international sidelined by a groin injury, but was replaced by Rashford in the second half. Malen, who usually plays in a wide role, will not be an option in Europe as he was not registered for the Champions League squad due to UEFA rules which Unai Emery has described as “not fair”.

Should Rashford fail to recapture the spark which made him one of England’s most feared forwards prior to last season, Villa will almost certainly be in the market for a centre-forward in the summer, and Mateta’s consistency in front of goal may make him a leading candidate for the job.