Aston Villa are reportedly closing in on reaching an agreement with Gremio to sign winger Alysson in a deal worth around €12m.
Despite a superb turnaround in recent months, Villa started the season poorly and goals were an issue during that period as we’ve seemingly lacked firepower in the attacking third.
Summer signing Evann Guessand has started slowly as he continues to adapt, and while Jadon Sancho has been slightly better in terms of making an impact, Harvey Elliott looks set for a potential departure next month as he has consistently been left out of the matchday squad by Unai Emery.
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In turn, coupled with Ollie Watkins’ struggles in front of goal, it’s felt as though Villa need to act in January to add more goals to the side, and according to The Athletic, it could come in the form of Alysson, as it’s reported that Villa are now closing in on a deal to sign the Brazilian teenager from Gremio in a deal worth €12m in total.
Having impressed for the Brazilian outfit this season, and given the 19-year-old is a left-footed, right-sided winger who could provide a fresh solution in that department, the signs would suggest that he’ll be added to Emery’s squad and given a chance to integrate rather than purely being an investment with upside in terms of a future sale.
We’ve missed that profile of winger since parting ways with the likes of Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey, and it seems as though he may well possess a set of skills that Emery likes and wants to add to his group again.
Naturally, should a deal go through, a lot will depend on his ability to adapt and prove that he can be a good fit for our system and style of play, and hopefully we’ll see him play a part in the second half of the season to help maintain our push for success this year.
Firstly though, it’s hoped that the clubs can indeed reach an agreement and get a deal done if he has seemingly been identified as a priority signing in January by our scouting team and President of Football Operations, Roberto Olabe, in conjunction with Emery and his staff, with Villa looking to move quickly ahead of the transfer window opening to get some of our business done.