Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be hoping Champions League qualification enables him to sign world-class players this summer.
The Spaniard is aiming to further bolster his first-team squad when the summer transfer window opens in a few weeks, especially if a top-five finish is secured.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery during a lap of honour after the match
Several players have been linked with a move to the Midlands already, including Lucas Chevalier, Ferran Torres and Alexander Sorloth.
All three would be excellent signings, but could Emery turn to the Turkish Süper Lig in a bid to improve his attacking options?
Aston Villa learn price tag for Turkish target
The club have been credited with an interest in Galatasaray winger Baris Alper Yilmaz recently and now Emery has learned the asking price.
According to reports in Turkey, Galatasaray are looking for €30m (£25m) amid interest from Aston Villa, West Ham United, and Nottingham Forest.
baris-alper-yilmaz-galatasaray
From a financial point of view, this fee is certainly within reach for the Villans, as it is not a huge sum of money,, allowing him to spend bigger amounts on improving other areas of his squad.
Adding in a winger who has a keen eye for goal could give the club a boost ahead of next season, and Emery may even unearth his next Bukayo Saka in the process.
Why Aston Villa must sign Baris Alper Yilmaz
Saka made his debut for Arsenal under Emery during the 2018/19 season. The Spaniard clearly saw something in the teenage talent to merit a place in the senior squad, and seven years later, he is arguably one of the best wingers in Europe.
Across that time span, the Englishman has scored 70 goals and registered 71 assists for the Gunners in 262 games, working out as a goal contribution every 1.8 matches.
Bukayo-Saka-Arsenal
Having a player with the same sort of qualities as Saka may prove to be a big hit at Villa Park, and Yilmaz certainly looks the part.
The Arsenal star is the ninth-most comparable player to the Turkish forward in Europe’s top five leagues.
Furthermore, the pair have also registered similar statistics across a range of metrics this term, including goals and assists (15 vs 16), shots on target per 90 (1.07 vs 1.16) and crosses (1-5 vs 115).
Baris Alper Yilmaz's statistics for Galatasaray this season (league only)
Goals
Shots per game
Assists
Goal conversion percentage
Big chances created
Total duels won per game
Via Sofascore
Elsewhere, Yilmaz has also created eight big chances, averaging 1.4 key passes and succeeded with 1.4 dribble attempts in the Turkish top flight this season.
In comparison, Saka has created 21 big chances, averages 2.5 key passes, and succeeds with 1.7 dribbles each match for Arsenal in the Premier League.
Saka is in a class above, but throughout the course of the season, Yilmaz has certainly proved his worth.
After his displays for Turkey at Euro 2024, especially against the Netherlands, he was lauded by Virgil van Dijk, who said: "Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive. It was difficult for every defender. He made it very hard for us. He couldn't score a goal though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player."
Should he move to Villa this summer, he could become Emery’s next Saka and light up the Midlands as a creative winger who could provide the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins with plenty of chances to find the back of the net.
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