Aston Villa have been linked with a string of potential transfer targets this summer, with Dwight McNeil and Emiliano Buendia reportedly the priority for us.
After finishing 11th in the Premier League this past season, the focus moving forward will now be to build on that and continue to climb the standings next year.
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In order to do that, Dean Smith will not only hope to continue to see his current squad develop and improve, but also to see reinforcements arrive to raise the quality level and add depth.
One area in particular which might need to be addressed first is our attacking options, as during Jack Grealish’s 12-game spell on the sidelines due to injury in the second half of the campaign, we struggled to create and score goals due to poor play in the final third.
As per The Athletic, Villa will look to make two or three key signings this summer, and both McNeil and Buendia are said to be of ‘serious interest’, while ‘extensive groundwork’ has already been done in our pursuits of the pair.
Importantly, the report adds that our strategy for the transfer window isn’t based on replacing Grealish, and so it potentially sets up a mouth-watering group of attacking players if we can land our preferred targets.
Buendia enjoyed a fine season this past year, scoring 15 goals and providing 17 assists in 41 appearances as he guided Norwich City back to the Premier League.
As for McNeil, the 21-year-old bagged two goals and five assists in 40 appearances for Burnley, and while those numbers might not jump off the page, he’s certainly a skilful and elegant player who can yet blossom into a top player.
Time will tell if Villa are successful in their pursuit of the attacking duo, but the Athletic report goes on to add that there is no interest in Celtic’s David Turnbull and West Brom ace Matheus Pereira is further down the list of targets.
Further, Tammy Abraham’s price-tag is currently enough to ensure he’s not on Villa’s radar, with it being suggested that Chelsea want around £40m to green light an exit for the striker this summer.
It’s going to be an interesting summer for Villa as Smith needs to find the right balance between developing his current stars, blooding the talented youngsters who are coming through and also making signings that will allow us to take a big step forward and not just make up the numbers.
It remains to be seen if Villa get the balance right and make sensible additions in the coming months.