Aston Villa are now planning a move for a new forward, who has been lauded as "fantastic" by manager Unai Emery.
Villa eyeing new forwards after "fantastic" end to the season
Villa ended their long wait for a trophy by lifting the Europa League, while also securing a fourth-place finish in the Premier League courtesy of a 2-1 victory at Manchester City on the final day, which left Emery very impressed.
The 54-year-old said: "Very fantastic, outstanding. Outstanding how we finished the season, and Premier League is the most important and the priority.
"We finished fourth, achieving the next year in Europe and Champions League and beating some teams at the beginning (who) were starting contenders more than us to be here.
"Congratulations for the players, congratulations for the club, for every worker. Congratulations the supporters as well, they were here as well in the stadium."
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts
Emery could hardly have dreamed of a better season, and having secured a return to the Champions League, the former Villarreal boss has been handed a £100m war chest, with Harvey Barnes among the targets in attack.
However, the Villans are also eyeing another Premier League star, who has received major plaudits from Emery.
Villa plotting move for "fantastic" forward
According to a report from Sports Boom, Aston Villa are now exploring a deal for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, who spent the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Villa Park, during which time he was lauded by Emery.
When asked whether he'd made a decision regarding Sancho's future back in February, the Villa boss said: “Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. If he plays his best football, we will want him, but other teams could also be interested.”
Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth and Brentford are also keen on signing the Englishman, who rakes in £200k-a-week, with his current contract set to expire this summer, and Man United aren't interested in offering him an extension.
sancho-aston-villa-lille
The 26-year-old 'would love' to extend his stay at Villa Park, despite not always playing a starring role during his loan spell, picking up two assists in 23 Premier League appearances, and failing to find the back of the net.
Jadon Sancho's Premier League statistics
873 minutes played
0 goals
2 assists
3 shots on target
16 successful dribbles
42.4% duels won
13% successful crosses
Even though the 23-cap England international appeared for just ten minutes in the 4-3 victory against Sunderland last month, there was debate surrounding whether he was at fault for two of the visitors' goals, which raises further doubt about whether he should be signed permanently.
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