Aston Villa have now sent officials to join Arsenal in the race to sign an attacking star following rave reviews from their scouts.
Emery: Aston Villa in "worst" moment
With just nine Premier League games left to play, Aston Villa's form is certainly a cause for concern. The Villans have not won any of their last four games and were swatted aside by Chelsea in brutal fashion last time out.
A change in competition and a trip to face Lille may yet provide the platform they need to get back on track, however. If anyone knows how to navigate the Europa League, it is Unai Emery and he will be well aware just how important Thursday's first leg will be.
The Spaniard recently had his say on Villa's form, telling reporters: "There is still time to work and build again our structure as strong as possible and feel confidence, individually and collectively there.
"We need to compete in the Premier League and Europa League. We are in a bad moment, the worst moment. We must react by working hard, through that we can recover our confidence.
"If we cannot recover it, maybe it is in trouble to achieve our objective. This bad moment means we must react and the only way I know is to find solutions and work more."
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard in action Related
[Newcastle fearing competition as Aston Villa burst into race for "unbelievable" £25m Premier League star](https://www.footballfancast.com/newcastle-fearing-competition-aston-villa-leandro-trossard-transfer/ "Newcastle fearing competition as Aston Villa burst into race for "unbelievable" £25m Premier League star")
The Villans have set their sights on a new attacking midfielder.
It's easy to see why Emery has taken a positive approach. In the space of four days, Villa have the chance to gain an advantage in the Europa League last 16 and leapfrog Manchester United back into third with a victory at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, recent reports have claimed that the Villa boss could be about to welcome reinforcements this summer, amid links with the likes of Leandro Trossard and another talented attacker.
Aston Villa send officials to join Hadj Moussa race
As reported by Sports Boom, Aston Villa have sent officials to join the race for Anis Hadj Moussa ahead of the summer transfer window. Choosing to rival Arsenal after receiving impressive reviews from their scouting department, the Villans could yet welcome an attacking star.
Anis Hadj Moussa scores for Feyenoord
Anis Hadj Moussa scores for Feyenoord
The Feyenoord man has rightly attracted plenty of interest ahead of the summer. At 24 years old, the Algerian is at the peak of his powers and has scored 11 goals and assisted another six in all competitions.
Given the struggles of Leon Bailey since returning and Emi Buendia as of late, it's fair to say that Hadj Moussa would be an instant upgrade.
After earning praise from talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2024, who described the winger's form as "fantastic", Hadj Moussa has only kicked on and earned Premier League interest.
Now, as Aston Villa and Arsenal battle for his signature, he could have quite the decision to make.