Aston Villa have been ramping up their transfer activity in recent weeks as Unai Emery slowly begins to build a team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
It is no secret that in order to comply with the profit and sustainability rules (PSR), Villa have to sell players before June 30.
Douglas Luiz looks set to join Juventus, while Omari Kellyman is closing in on a move to Chelsea and Tim Iroegbunam has left the Midlands to join Everton, bringing in plenty of funds for Emery.
In terms of incomings, Lewis Dobbin has joined from the Toffees, while Ian Maatsen looks set to become a Villa player in the next few days after he passed his medical.
Now, take a breath. The Spaniard is certainly not resting on his laurels, moving quickly to bolster his squad ahead of the Champions League next term, which will see Villa face plenty of quality teams.
Dobbin and Maatsen are both 22 and under, which suggests Emery is building a team not only for the present but for the future too.
The latest player to be linked with a move to Villa also fits in this bracket and could be an ideal signing for the club…
Aston Villa looking to sign new defender
According to reports (via Sport Witness), Villa have made an opening bid of €15m (£12.7m), plus bonuses for Fiorentina right-back Michael Kayode.
This appears to be too low for the Italian side, as they are demanding a transfer fee of around €20m (£17m), plus bonuses on top of that, which is still within Emery’s price range.
It is stated that a new offer from Villa will be expected soon and this time, it should be around the number that Fiorentina are expecting for their highly rated player.
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Via Transfermarkt
This could be yet another smart signing by the club, especially considering how much Kayode could improve in the future, thus, potentially making them a substantial profit in the next few years should he shine in the Premier League and in Europe.
Michael Kayode’s season in numbers for Fiorentina
The 19-year-old only made his top flight debut for the club last season, racking up 26 appearances which included a goal and two assists, not bad for his maiden season in Serie A.
Among his teammates, Kayode ranked sixth for accurate passes per game (34.6) in the top flight, sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.8) and second for tackles per game (two), showing plenty of indications that he belongs at the highest level.
The teenager is also excellent when it comes to one-on-one battles, as he won 4.3 total duels per game in Serie A last season – a success rate of 60% – while being dribbled past on just 0.5 occasions per game, demonstrating his physical strength.
He was highly praised by analyst Ben Mattinson for those precise attributes back in October 2023, who said via X: “Keep an eye out for Michael Kayode this season for Fiorentina. An exciting defensive prospect your team may be looking at. A 1v1 & duel monster Every team needs one.”
Kayode has not been fazed by taking on some of the best attacking players Europe has got to offer since making his debut last term, which means he could be a wonderful asset for Emery to have at Villa.
Could the youngster replace Matty Cash? The English-born Polish defender has been linked with a move away from the Midlands in recent weeks.
The latest on Matty Cash's future at Aston Villa
A couple of weeks ago, journalist Jacob Tanswell of the Athletic stated that AC Milan were showing interest in signing Cash this summer.
Emery isn’t going to let the defender go for cheap, however, especially considering he needs as many funds as he can get during the transfer window.
A £30m price tag has been slapped on the former Nottingham Forest player’s head, although this could prove too much for the Serie A side to pay.
Might the Spaniard find any other potential suitors for Cash in the coming weeks? It looks like he could find himself further down the pecking order by the start of next season.
Kayode could be an upgrade on the 26-year-old, no doubt about that.
How Michael Kayode compares to Matty Cash
Emery likes his full-backs to attack down their respective flanks, and it is clear by looking at the stats that Kayode is better suited to this than Cash.
Indeed, the youngster averaged 0.96 successful take-ons per 90 last term for Fiorentina, while also averaging 0.6 key passes per game.
In comparison, Cash averaged just 0.5 successful take-ons last season, while averaging only 0.4 key passes per game in the Premier League for Villa.
Defensively, Kayode won more total duels (4.3 vs 3.6), more interceptions (0.7 vs 0.6) per game and was dribbled past on fewer occasions per game (0.5 vs 1), which shows that not only is the Fiorentina starlet more effective going forwards, but he can defend well from the right side of the defence.
The most important thing for Emery is Kayode is only going to get better, especially being exposed to some quality attackers in the Premier League.
Cash, on the other hand, is unlikely to improve on his current level, which means cashing in on him right now would make the most sense with regard to long-term planning.
Villa will be looking to make an impression in the Champions League next season as opposed to just being their for the fun of it. Progress will also mean more prize money, which in turn could fund more high quality signings.
Smart investment this summer could see this dream turn into a reality and allow the manager to build a team which has the ability of finishing in the top four again next season, despite losing the likes of Luiz in the transfer window.
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