Aston Villa are weighing up a move for Matheus Cunha with Jhon Durán expected to finalise his transfer to Al-Nassr on Thursday, though they also want to sign a striker to support the Arsenal target Ollie Watkins.
Wolves, who host Villa on Saturday, are adamant they will not countenance selling Cunha given the forward is a key player in their fight to avoid relegation and are hopeful the Brazilian will sign a new contract. Villa are also exploring alternatives, including a more like-for-like Durán replacement, but have no desire to sell Watkins, the subject of a bid worth about £60m from Arsenal.
Unai Emery is driving a move for Marco Asensio but there are doubts over whether the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who is available for transfer, would be interested in the move. It is a similar picture with João Félix, who joined Chelsea from Atlético Madrid for about £42m amid serious interest from Villa last summer and has previously expressed reservations about joining.
Durán, who has scored 12 goals in 29 appearances this season, is poised to move to the Saudi Pro League club for an initial fee of about £65m. Durán has scored several significant goals in this campaign, including the winner against Bayern Munich in October.
Villa hold an interest in Mathys Tel but Tottenham are thought to be frontrunners in the race, having reportedly opened talks with Bayern Munich to sign the 19-year-old forward for €60m (£50.2m) before Monday’s deadline.
Al-Nassr have also moved for the Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma but have had a €65m (£54.4m) offer rejected. Brighton are understood to be determined not to sell Mitoma, who signed a new contract worth about £80,000 a week in October 2023 and will have two years on his deal at the end of the season. The 27-year-old is believed to have no interest in playing in Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career.
Villa swiftly dismissed Arsenal’s first approach for Watkins but Emery has stopped short of saying the striker will not leave before Monday’s deadline. “Every player can be in the market in case it is good for the player, for the club and for the team,” the Villa manager said after his team had qualified for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday. “But to get this deal, of course we are going to be very demanding. And Watkins is our striker.”
Villa, who will face Sporting, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta in the last 16, are hopeful of completing a deal for the Chelsea defender Axel Disasi after a move for Sevilla’s Loïc Badé collapsed over personal terms. Villa, who have also looked at a move for the Villarreal defender Juan Foyth, are short at centre-back after injuries to Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres. The club have generated £42m in Uefa prize money from qualifying for the last 16, including a £1.7m bonus for securing a top-eight finish.
Villa are among the clubs who have tracked Tyler Dibling but there is a feeling the Southampton teenager could be most likely to move to the Bundesliga at the end of the season. Tottenham and Newcastle have been pushing to sign the 18-year-old but RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also hold an interest in the forward, who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Emery said he was disappointed to be losing a player with Durán’s potential. “I was so, so close with him, trying to work with him and his development but the players have their own objectives, ambitions, [and] sometimes they are impatient and if he is leaving it is because he prefers to do another way in his career. We are different people, different persons, with different objectives. We have to respect it.”
Villa’s Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci has joined Barnsley on loan. “This is a brilliant opportunity to come and get some experience in English football, and help the club gain promotion and get back in the Championship,” Gauci said.
