Samu Aghehowa has been linked with a big move to Aston Villa in January.placeholder image
Samu Aghehowa has been linked with a big move to Aston Villa in January. | Getty Images
Aston Villa have been linked with a blockbuster January move for a Spanish international
Aston Villa have kick-started internal discussions about a possible move for prolific FC Porto striker Samuel Omorodion Aghehowa.
The Villans are believed to be keen to enhance their attacking options after a slow start in front of goal which has seen them score just eight times in as many league matches.
Ollie Watkins, who has been formidable in recent seasons, has been off the pace with just one goal in his opening 11 matches across all competitions, and some sections of the Villa fanbase are beginning to question whether the club are currently over-reliant on the forward, who turns 30-years-old in December.
It’s now nearly a year ago since Jhon Duran made the surprise switch to Saudi Arabia for a fee believed to be in the region of £64m - and it’s thought that in an ideal world Unai Emery would like to have two high-standard strikers on the books particularly with the added strain of European football.
Aston Villa plot move for Samuel Aghehowa
The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in world football and has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with for defenders in recent seasons. Aghehowa joined Atletico Madrid from Grenada’s academy in 2023 but really rose to prominence during a loan spell at Alaves when he scored eight goals in 35 matches as a 19-year-old.
The promising Melilla-born forward was the subject of strong interest from Chelsea during the summer of 2024 and was very close to completing a £34m transfer to the West London club after a both a fee and personal terms were agreed, but issues surrounding an ankle injury during the medical examination and image rights negotiations led to the transfer collapsing in early August, with Porto ultimately getting the deal over the line instead.
Aghehowa has scored a staggering 34 goals in 54 matches across all competitions for the 30-time Portuguese champions, including 19 in the league and a brace against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Samuel Aghehowa turned down the chance to join Nottingham Forest
Samuel Aghehowa’s form in his debut season led to reports linking him with the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United, but the most concrete interest came from Nottingham Forest as they secured European football for the first time in 30 years. A Bola reports that the City Ground club, who were then managed by ex-Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santo, held meetings with the player’s representatives but failed to convince him that the project was worth being a part of.
Ironically, Aghehowa faces Forest in the Europa League in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge. It’s a match some Villa fans will keep tabs on as they face Go Ahead Eagles. The same outlet also claims Villa were ready to try and make a move for Aghehowa but decided in the summer the timing wasn’t right due to their struggles with PSR.
Aghehowa is under contract until 2029 and it’s believed he has a release clause of 100 million euros, which equates to around £87m. The striker has scored eight in nine matches across all competitions so far putting him in a strong position to try and make the Spain squad for the World Cup next summer.
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