Aston Villa have been linked with an interest in Ugurcan Cakir and Tammy Abraham, while youngster Carney Chukwuemeka is reportedly attracting attention.
Villa have made progress this season having narrowly escaped relegation last year, as Dean Smith and his players will hope to secure a top-half Premier League finish in the coming weeks.
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It won’t be easy given our form in recent months and with the ongoing absence of captain Jack Grealish due to injury, but it’s hoped that we can squeeze in and enjoy a positive end to the campaign and take that into next season to continue to kick on.
Naturally though, with less to play for now, the focus is shifting for some to the summer transfer window already and assessing where Villa can, and should, improve the current squad.
Cakir interest from Villa
As reported by BirminghamLive, via Fotospor, Villa have been paired with a possible move for Trabzonspor and Turkey goalkeeper Cakir, with a valuation of £17m being touted as the likes of PSV, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund are also said to be interested along with a string of other Premier League and top European clubs.
With Tom Heaton too experienced and talented to be limited to a back-up role behind Emiliano Martinez, there is a concern that the stalwart could move on this summer to secure regular first-team football. With Jed Steer currently the third-choice ‘keeper for Smith, adding Cakir to push Martinez for a starting berth could end up being a smart move.
Cakir, 25, has kept 12 clean sheets in 34 games for his club this season while conceding 33 goals. He’s also earned seven caps for Turkey.
Abraham return to Villa?
Meanwhile, as noted by BirminghamLive, Villa continue to be linked with a reunion with Abraham after his previous successful loan spell with us that helped us seal promotion back to the Premier League.
It’s noted that West Ham Utd have also been touted as a potential destination, and with the Hammers battling for a Champions League qualification spot currently, that could certainly help them acquire their top targets this summer.
However, if an opportunity to return to Villa Park and to work with Smith again presents itself, it could be an option that Abraham is open to in order to get his career back on track having seemingly fallen out of favour with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel since his arrival.
Interest in Chukwuemeka
Elsewhere, The Guardian report that talented Villa youngster Chukwuemeka is being watched by Manchester Utd and Manchester City as he continues to gain plenty of attention.
The 17-year-old has shown that he’s a real talent for the future with the Villa youth sides, while he’s knocking on the door to feature for the senior team as he was on the bench for the defeat to Man City this week.
Teams around Europe are also said to be interested with RB Leipzig, Monaco and PSV Eindhoven specifically named by the Guardian, but it’s hoped that Chukwuemeka remains at Villa for the foreseeable future and if warranted, is given opportunities by Smith to showcase his talent on the big stage sooner rather than later.