Santiago Castro
Bologna visit Aston Villa on Thursday and the game will be watched by scouts from Chelsea and Manchester United.
The two clubs will be keeping an eye on striker Santiago Castro, who witnessed a rise to stardom in the last two seasons.
He has scored 11 times in all competitions this season, also assisting four times. He came alive against AS Roma in the previous round of the Europa League, playing a role in Bologna’s 4-3 win in extra time.
Castro has already gone past his numbers from last season, when he found the net ten times in all competitions.
Sport Witness have previously covered interest from England in the Argentine. Now, Manchester United and Chelsea are likely to pay special attention.
Santiago Castro hyped by local press
Bologna newspaperIl Resto del Carlino have a report which praises the diminutive striker. They describe him as a talent ‘ready for the biggest stages’, noting how he does his best in European competitions.
That is why the game against Aston Villa will be very important for him. Even in the first leg, many clubs had kept a close eye on the 21-year-old.
On Thursday, scouts from Manchester United and Chelsea will do the same. It is unclear whether they observed him in the first leg but this is a sign that Santiago Castro is increasingly likely to end up in England.
Or at least that is what Il Resto are trying to imply.
At the same time, they make it clear that Castro signed a new deal very recently. This is likely to increase Bologna’s asking price, if clubs come calling in the summer.
Our take: Bologna would love sale to England
The Rossoblu have an excellent track record of selling their best players to English clubs.
Exits of Riccardo Calafiori, Joshua Zirkzee and Dan Ndoye fetched them over €100m. This makes it clear why they would love to sell Santiago Castro to Manchester United or Chelsea.
Besides, adding those two clubs to the fray only helps Bologna increase their price tag. In the past, West Ham and Nottingham Forest have also been mentioned.
Since Bologna will play in England, there won’t be a better opportunity to promote their player in the best way.