Aston Villa are looking like they could have a busy last 24 hours of the January transfer market.
They have reached an agreement to secure Middlesbrough forward Morgan Rogers in a deal expected to reach £15m as Unai Emery has acted in order to bolster his attacking options.
Heading into the dying embers of the window, the Spaniard will be looking to add at least another new face to his squad, especially as their schedule is likely to be hectic over the coming months.
Could they shop in a market which Emery knows well? A fresh update has them showing interest in a Bundesliga midfielder who has shone this season…
Aston Villa may make another signing before the window closes
With a deal for Rogers more or less over the line, it could give the former Arsenal manager a boost in his pursuit for more signings.
According to SportBild (via Sport Witness), Villa are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios ahead of making a potential late swoop for the player.
Although he is performing wonderfully in the Bundesliga this term, the Midlands outfit are the only Premier League side mentioned in the report and this may give Emery an edge when it comes to trying to lure him to the club.
Villa are no strangers to dealing with Leverkusen. They signed Leon Bailey back in the summer of 2021 before making Moussa Diaby their record signing last summer, and might it be a third time they snatch a prized asset from the German club?
Xabi Alonso has set the bar high with regard to the valuation for the 25-year-old, placing a €60m (£51m) price tag on his head – a similar fee to the one that brought Diaby to England.
With Douglas Luiz attracting plenty of attention following his sublime displays throughout 2023/24, the Brazilian may be entering his final few months as a Villa player.
If this is the case, Emery will need to find a replacement sooner rather than later and turning to Palacios could be the most logical option.
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The former Manchester City starlet has enjoyed a stunning resurgence at Villa since Emery took over in October 2022.
During his first three seasons in the Midlands, he scored six goals and registered six assists. Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, however, the 25-year-old has added more attacking nous to his game and has been rewarded by finding the back of the net on 13 occasions, chipping in with 12 assists too, and it is clear he is becoming a key figure for the club.
This form has led to interest from Arsenal, and they had bids rejected for him in 2022, yet Emery currently values his midfielder above the £100m mark, which he will hope deters any potential suitors.
Should Villa slip out of the Champions League places between now and the end of the season while failing to win a trophy, the Brazilian may decide a move to Arsenal could be the next stage in his career and this is something the 52-year-old must be prepared for.
A move for Palacios makes perfect sense as he could emerge as an excellent replacement for Luiz, while he also could be Emery’s own Declan Rice, such is his playing style.
Exequiel Palacios’ style of play
According to WhoScored, the Argentinian likes to tackle often and plays short passes regularly, aiming to dictate the play during matches, and this combative nature combined with a solid passing ability could see him fit into the Villa midfield.
Indeed, his strengths are passing, tackling and ball interception and, while he may not score as much as Luiz, his defensive attributes more than make up for this, hence the comparison to Rice.
The Englishman has impressed since making the move to Arsenal from West Ham United last summer, taking his game to new levels, especially in the Champions League, averaging a 90% pass success rate per game along with winning 65% of his ground duels and losing possession just 7.8 times per match.
3
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62.8
82.4
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2.7
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6.5
According to FBref, Rice is currently the fourth-most comparable player to Palacios and, given their respective defensive and passing abilities, the Leverkusen midfielder could be a major transfer coup should Villa secure his signature.
This season, the pair have registered similar statistics with regard to goals and assists domestically (both five each), pass success rate per 90 (91.6% vs 90.6%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.67 vs 2.03) and tackles won (28 vs 24), clearly indicating that they have shone across a range of performance metrics specific to their position.
Not only that, but Palacios currently ranks in the top 1% for passes attempted per 90 (87.4) when compared to his positional peers across similar leagues, while even ranking in the top 4% for tackles per 90 (3.33) and the top 5% for interceptions per 90 (1.71), showcasing his talents when compared to fellow peers in the big European leagues.
The midfielder was hailed as a “special footballer” by head of scouting for InsightMrkt Andy McGregor back in 2019 before he made his mark in Europe, and he has since developed into one of the best players in his position across the continent.
£51m may sound like a lot on the surface, and it could require Emery to move on a player or two in order to comply with the financial fair play regulations, but if he is going to move on Luiz potentially for a fee in excess of £100m, then the Argentinian must be the ideal replacement.
The Spaniard is in the middle of building something big at Villa Park and the ability to secure big profits on players when they are at the peak of their powers along with signing replacements for half the price could be imperative to any future success.
Palacios has demonstrated his abilities in one of the toughest leagues in Europe and a move to the Premier League is clearly the next step for the World Cup winner.