Aston Villa are reportedly in negotiations with Southampton over a permanent transfer for Cameron Archer this summer.
The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the top talents from our Academy in recent years, as after impressing at youth level for us, he enjoyed productive loan spells with Preston North End and Middlesbrough.
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His time at Sheffield Utd proved to be more challenging last season, and as per a clause in the agreement to sell him last year, he was re-signed by Villa this summer and was a prominent figure in pre-season.
However, it appears as though his time at the club could be coming to an end again soon, as The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Villa are in negotiations with Southampton over a permanent switch for the talented young striker, and although no agreement has been found as of yet, he notes that the situation is advancing.
Selling another of our prized young assets this summer would be disappointing, as not only have we had high hopes for Archer for some time, but it’s always positive to see the best of the crop of our own talent make the cut and succeed at senior level.
That said, it has to be questioned as to whether Archer has shown enough to prove that he is capable of delivering at the top level on a consistent basis, particularly after his time with Sheffield Utd in the Premier League last season, while question marks could be raised over his form against top opposition in pre-season, hence this potential decision that Villa are willing to make to sell him again.
As an Academy player, any permanent sale would represent pure profit from his fee, and subsequently, it could be a crucial exit that unlocks our ability to bring in a more impactful and suitable reinforcement to bolster Unai Emery’s attacking options.
At the very least it would be another financial boost to continue to help balance our books, but ultimately Villa could then have more flexibility with their own transfer plans, and be in a position to bring in a target that could both complement but also provide competition for Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran in the final third more effectively.
