Aston Villa have been paired with an interest in Toulouse midfielder Branco van den Boomen, who will become a free agent this summer.
The 27-year-old will see his current contract with the French outfit expire at the end of the season, and so a decision will need to be made on his future.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, he has decided against signing a new deal with them and will consider his options, with Villa explicitly mentioned as one of the many clubs interested in acquiring his services.
In 36 appearances for Toulouse across all competitions so far this season, Van den Boomen has scored six goals and providing 13 assists, and it’s been quite a journey for the Dutchman having initially spent a few years coming through the youth ranks at Ajax.
He’s contributed 23 goals and 45 assists in 117 games for Toulouse since joining them in 2020, and so time will tell if he has caught the eye and emerged as a top target for Unai Emery, particularly given the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer.
Villa will have a lot of factors to consider this summer when strengthening the squad, as Emery will want competition and depth in all areas to compete in the Premier League and in the cup competitions.
Further, it remains to be seen if we can qualify for Europe for next season, and so that could add further stress on the fixture schedule and we’ll need significantly more options to ensure we can compete on multiple fronts.
In turn, there are realistic reasons as to why Van den Boomen could be of genuine interest, but with ongoing speculation over a potential appointment of Mateu Alemany in a key role and changes to the Villa structure this summer, that will surely take priority and much will then depend on the shared vision of those involved in terms of who arrives to improve us.
Significant changes are expected this summer, and this certainly won’t be the last rumour we hear in the coming weeks before the current campaign has even concluded.
