Aston Villa are reportedly considering a move for Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, but it could take a bid of £40m to prise him away from the City Ground.
After playing a key role in Forest’s promotion back to the Premier League, the 22-year-old scored eight goals and provided three assists in 38 league outings last season.
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His impressive displays and consistency have seemingly caught the eye of Villa, with the Daily Mail reporting that we’re exploring a move for the Welsh international, with talks having been held to establish that both sides are interested in a possible transfer.
However, it’s added that although Forest are willing to sell this summer to ease their FFP concerns, they could still demand a fee of around £40m to green light an exit, and so time will tell if Villa are willing to spend big on Johnson or if they will consider alternative options.
Villa have moved to strengthen our midfield and defence already this summer with the signings of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres respectively, and amid plenty of speculation this week linking us with attacking players, it appears as though that will be the next area of the squad that Unai Emery looks to address.
Having heavily leaned on the likes of Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia last season, we must add more competition and depth in the final third to ensure we have enough to compete on multiple fronts, but also give the Villa boss alternative tactical options so we have a number of solutions and variations to break sides down.
Johnson impressed last year having played an important role in helping to keep Forest up, and with his attributes both on and off the ball, he could prove to be an excellent addition for Emery in terms of how he might fit into his style of play and preferred system.
Given there’s no suggestion as of yet that we’re nearing an agreement with Forest or with the Welshman on personal terms, it remains to be seen if he emerges as a priority, or if one of the many other names paired with a move to Villa become more realistic options.