Aston Villa ‘join race’ to sign Newcastle United target, Wolves ‘in mix’ for £80m Man Utd ace

Aston Villa have reportedly entered the race to sign Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney this summer, with Unai Emery willing to offload one of his defensive options to let a move happen. Tierney looks to be on The Gunners’ chopping block as he has started just three league games this campaign and Mikel Arteta has only handed him 122 minutes since the World Cup break.

The Scotland international had been a mainstay in the team for the past two seasons, but a mix of the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City and some injury issues have halted his progress. Newcastle United are said to be in the market for a new left-back and Tierney is high up on their list. Dan Burn and Matt Targett are The Magpies’ current options.

According to a fresh report in Football Insider, however, Villa are also interested in Tierney’s services as Unai Emery looks to continue an overhaul of his squad. Lucas Digne, who has been in and out of the squad following Alex Moreno’s arrival, is said to be a potential summer departure to allow for a new addition at left-back.

Arsenal would likely be willing to sell Tierney to free up funds for what looks set to be an active transfer window in north London. Whether Mikel Arteta’s side win the Premier League title or not this campaign matters not, as they will no doubt be looking for options to strengthen their chances for next season regardless. This could be one to watch.

Meanwhile, Wolves ‘in the mix’ for £80m Manchester United ace

In other West Midlands transfer news, Villa’s local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers have been tipped to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire. Transfer news journalist Ben Jacobs told TEAMtalk: “I think Wolves could be one to watch, even though they tend to buy younger. The reason is because Max Kilman is going to be in demand over the summer period.”

90min reports that Maguire is “one of a number of first-team players United are willing to sell in order to support reinvestment into the squad for next season”. Wolves aren’t the only Premier League team interested, with Newcastle another side said to hold an intrigue. Villa were linked heavily with the 30-year-old defender in the winter but no move was made.

Maguire, who joined United from Leicester City for £80 million in 2019, remains the world’s most expensive defender of all time. He captained The Red Devils under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Lisandro Martinez. New head coach Erik ten Hag doesn’t seem to fancy him, either.