After a busy summer transfer window saw the likes of Amadou Onana join for an eye-watering £50m, you would perhaps expect Aston Villa to be somewhat quieter on the spending front this winter.
However, Unai Emery’s side are continuing to splash the big bucks this window, with Donyell Malen finally entering the building now for an initial fee of £21m, after also piquing the interest of fellow Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United before the Villans won the race.
The West Midlands giants aren’t done there though, with another race heating up for this explosive star’s services which again involves many a top-flight side.
Aston Villa's transfer latest
As per Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Villa are interested in picking up in-demand striker Stefanos Tzimas from his current loan employers 1. FC Nurnberg, but they are not alone in their advances.
Indeed, Liverpool seem to be the frontrunners to land the exciting Greek attacker over Emery and Co, with contact even occurring between the Reds and 19-year-old over striking up a deal.
This wouldn’t take place until the summer, however, with Nurnberg wanting to tie their loanee down to a permanent deal now, before then selling him on for a fee around the £21m mark.
If Villa could accelerate to the front of the queue to land the deadly attacker over Arne Slot’s men, this might well be seen as a bigger coup than landing the ex-Borussia Dortmund forward, with Emery winning himself yet another potential goal machine up top.
What Tzimas could offer Villa
Villa fans will hope that if this punt does come to fruition, Tzimas could have a similar impact on proceedings that Jhon Duran has managed, with Duran once an unknown entity himself when joining from Chicago Fire.
Now, he’s known as a ruthless striker in the Premier League with seven strikes to his name in 2024/25 from only four starts, with Tzimas also lighting up the Bundesliga in a similar fashion for Nurnberg this season to date.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Tzimas
Games played
14
Goals scored
8
Assists
1
Shots*
2.9
Scoring frequency
118 mins
Big chances missed
11
Big chances created
2
Looking at the table above, it’s clear to see that the 19-year-old has been a revelation for the German side this season since joining on loan, with a blistering goal return of eight strikes from 14 league contests sticking out among other glowing numbers.
He could well have an even healthier number next to his name if it wasn’t for 11 big chances being missed, with the “monster” striker – as he was labelled by football talent scout Jacek Kulig amidst this Nurnberg purple patch – perhaps taken to another level surrounded by the likes of Morgan Rogers and other devastating Villa attackers if a move was to materialise.
He would surely love linking up with Malen too, who will be seen as a statement buy from the Villans in their pursuit of European football once more, considering the Dutchman can boast seven career goal contributions in the esteemed Champions League.
Yet, although this business undoubtedly shows Emery’s men going all out to strengthen, securing a deal for Tzimas could be seen as an even bolder coup, considering his ‘monster’ potential, with Liverpool potentially left in the dust.
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ByJoe NuttallJan 15, 2025
