Aston Villa 'monitoring' Bundesliga star but face competition for Manchester United wonderkid

We witnessed the return of the Premier League at the weekend, following the conclusion of the international break. Aston Villa managed to avoid an ignominious defeat at home to Crystal Palace in their first match back - what is happening in the rumour mill outside Villa Park today?

The Villans are ‘monitoring’ the situation of a Bundesliga midfielder whose contract is due to expire in the summer of 2026. They have sent scouts to watch him in action and could snap him up for a fee in the region of £8 million.

Additionally, a Villa transfer target is now thought to be in the sights of ‘a host’ of clubs in the EFL who want to sign him on loan in the January transfer window.

Aston Villa ‘scouting’ Werder Bremen star Romano Schmidt

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Werder Bremen star Romano Schmidt ahead of the January transfer window. Unai Emery is looking to bolster his options in the middle of the park - bringing such an adaptable midfield player to Villa Park would be an excellent way to do this.

This is according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from journalist Florian Plettenberg, who wrote: “Aston Villa are closely monitoring the situation of Romano Schmid! There have already been several live scouting sessions at the stadium.

“Concrete inquiries for the 24 y/o attacking midfielder have been made for the winter. A transfer could follow by the summer at the latest. Many clubs interested. Price valuation: €10 million. Contract with Werder Bremen until 2026.”

As mentioned, Schmidt’s current deal does not expire until the summer of 2026. While this means that Werder are under no immediate pressure to sell him, it may be prudent to let him go sooner, rather than later. So far this season, the 24 year old has made 13 appearances across all competitions for Werder, scoring a single goal and notching up two assists along the way.

He is capable of covering multiple roles, which would make him invaluable to the Villans given their packed playing schedule. Schmidt is best suited to playing as an attacking midfielder, but he can also function as a central or right-sided midfielder.

Aston Villa joined in race for Manchester United’s Harry Amass as clubs ‘ready offer’

Villa’s rumoured interest in 17-year-old Manchester United starlet Harry Amass is well documented at this point. Despite this, they are not the only club in the race - according to a recent report from Football Insider, he is a loan target for ‘a host of EFL clubs’ ahead of the January transfer window.

As things stand, it is unclear where Amass’ immediate future lies. Villa may want to snap him up on a permanent basis, but it is unknown if United head coach Ruben Amorim wants to let him go.

He was not in the Portuguese’s match day squad for their game against Ipswich Town on Sunday - seemingly indicating that he does not have a place in the team at the moment. This needn’t be the case long term, however.