n8rngtd.topFollowing the shock news that Jhon Duran is set to join Al-Nassr for a hefty fee before the end of the transfer window, Aston Villa have reportedly set their sights on signing a replacement worth £25m.
Aston Villa transfer news
At some stage, the Villans were always going to have to decide between Ollie Watkins and Duran, especially if they wanted to create spending power of their own and avoid profit and sustainability issues. Now, it seems as though they’ve made their choice after reportedly rejecting Arsenal’s £60m bid to sign Watkins at the same time as accepting a €77m (£64m) to sell Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
What Duran’s pending exit will certainly do is hand Aston Villa some room to manoeuvre on the incomings front in the closing days of the window and that could yet see an instant replacement arrive.
Aston Villa now plotting hijack to sign "physical" £25m Disasi alternative
This would certainly ignite their Midlands rivalry…
By
Tom Cunningham
Jan 30, 2025
According to Galatasaray reporter Yakub Cinar, as reported by Haber Sabrikirmizi and relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are now plotting a move to sign Baris Alper Yilmaz, who has already been the subject of West Ham United’s rejected bid worth €30m (£25m) this month.
With added spending power, however, it remains to be seen whether Villa will enter the equation and offer Galatasaray an offer that they can’t refuse before Monday’s deadline. Villa sporting director Monchi is reportedly a big fan of the forward which could yet play a large part in his side’s pursuit either this month or in the summer when searching for a Duran replacement.
"Elusive" Yilmaz would replace Duran's goals
Whilst there’s no denying that Watkins is the undisputed main man in Unai Emery and Villa’s frontline after their decision to sell Duran, they could still do with replacing the latter’s goals from the bench and Yilmaz could do exactly that. The Turkey international impressed at the Euros last summer and has since taken that form into the current Galatasaray campaign.
|
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) |
Baris Alper Yilmaz |
Jhon Duran |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,620 |
638 |
|
Goals |
10 |
7 |
|
Assists |
1 |
0 |
The forward has earned plenty of praise throughout his career and was even backed to thrive in the Premier League if he completes a move by former Turkey international Selcuk Inan, who told reporters as relayed by the Liverpool Echo: “I think Baris Alper Yılmaz can play very comfortably for many teams in the Premier League at the moment. He’s a very special player.
“We worked a lot together. If Barıs Alper improves himself with his final ball, he can easily play for the best clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal. He’s a player with a lot of potential. Hopefully, he will get that chance and represent them.”