Sheffield United are closing on an £18.5m move for the Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer, in a major boost in the club’s fight for Premier League survival. United are hoping the 21-year-old can replicate his prolific goalscoring record at Championship level in the Premier League.
Archer spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, after a fruitful spell in the second tier at Preston the previous year. He entered as a late substitute for Villa against Everton last Sunday but the club have decided their academy graduate is best served playing regularly elsewhere. Villa have stipulated that a buyback clause must be included in any deal, as they did with Aaron Ramsey’s £14m transfer to Burnley.
Archer, who was part of the England team that won the European Under-21 Championship in July, signed a five-year contract with Villa last summer but his game-time for the club has been limited.
United, who have lost both of their league matches since promotion to the top flight, host Manchester City at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Paul Heckingbottom, the United manager, made it clear after defeat at Nottingham Forest last Friday that he wanted to bolster his attacking options after the sale of Iliman Ndiaye, top scorer last season, to Marseille.
“We need firepower at the top end of the pitch,” Heckingbottom said. “We need to create more discomfort for whoever is playing against us.”
Luton explored a loan deal for Archer but United look poised to sign the forward, who was wanted by almost every Championship club. Luton can loan one more player from a Premier League club after taking the full-back Issa Kaboré from Manchester City for the season.
Nottingham Forest have announced the loan signing of Argentina’s World Cup-winning full-back Gonzalo Montiel from Sevilla. The 26-year-old scored the decisive penalty as his country beat France in the 2022 World Cup final and also netted the winning spot-kick in last season’s Europa League final.
He moves to the City Ground on a season-long loan deal which could become a permanent move next year. “I’m really happy to have joined this club,” he said. “I’m coming here full of expectations, of getting to play and showing what I can do. I’m also hungry to win things, to win trophies, now’s the time to show this.”
