Unai Emery outlines Aston Villa target ahead of transfer deadline
Unai Emery wants “two or three” new signings before Monday’s transfer deadline but says Villa won’t buy players for the sake of it.
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Forwards Joao Felix, Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford are in Villa’s sights, while Lens centre-back and Wolves target Kevin Danso has emerged as a possible alternative to Chelsea defender Axel Disasi.
Villa have let five senior players leave in this window, with Donyell Malen the only experienced arrival and Emery acknowledged it will be difficult to recruit the men they want.
Chelsea playmaker Felix and Paris St Germain forward Asensio are among their top targets, though neither deal will be easy to complete. Villa are also exploring a possible loan move for Manchester United outcast Rashford.
Emery said: “Hopefully in two or three days we can join two or three players with us. I am going to be very motivated to get collectively here our objective.
“It is not normal, at the moment, what we are doing in this transfer window. But there are different circumstances we have to accept.
“There are still a few days until we close the transfer window and the club is working and we have to do something fast.”
Emery, who is also having to deal with a lengthy injury list, expressed confidence in his current squad to compete for the rest of the season, even if there were no further additions.
But the expectation remains Villa will be among the most active Premier League clubs in the final hours of the window having recouped nearly £100million in fees over the last month.
The biggest deal has seen Jhon Duran depart to Al-Nassr for a fee which could eventually reach more than £70m but Emery said while the club are looking at striker targets, it was not among their top priorities.
“The club is working, identifying if we can sign a striker to help us. But it is not a priority,” he explained.
“We have some players who can play as a striker, not like Ollie Watkins but in a different task.
“Morgan Rogers, for example, played there before. Donyell Malen played there before.
“I don’t want to sign a player unless it is really clear they can help us and improve us in the level we have. It is not easy now, to sign a player like that.
“We are analysing and identifying players in the attacking third, with the players we can add. But always, trying to sign players who improve our skill in the squad. It is not signing for signing.”