Aston Villa are apparently looking into signing a Leicester City attacker, but Everton are also interested. The Villans are considering a move for Kelechi Iheanacho as their current striker, Jhon Duran, is poised to leave for Chelsea in a £40 million deal. An opportunity has arisen because the Nigeria international has not signed a new deal with Leicester and will become a free agent at the end of June. The Foxes have attempted to persuade Iheanacho to stay, but unhappiness about a drop in game time last season may have sealed his fate, at least in his mind, since all offers have been turned down.
According to Football Insider, Villa is monitoring Iheanacho’s position and has already contacted his representatives. A meeting is believed to have taken place in Greece prior to the Villans’ UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final loss to Olympiacos, sparking talks about a possible Villa Park move. There is stiff competition elsewhere in the Premier League, however, with Everton and Newcastle United connected in the last fortnight. It might be a three-team battle for Iheanacho’s signature, especially given how uncommon it is for a player of his caliber to become available for free.
Villa, in particular, must be strategic with their transfer business this summer, as they must navigate the Premier League’s stringent profit and sustainability requirements (PSR). Duran’s sale for a large sum will assist, as will Douglas Luiz’s swap deal with Juventus, but Unai Emery still has few cash to work with. The Villa move for Iheanacho makes sense. Signing Iheanacho could be a very wise decision because he won’t cost anything. The 27-year-old has 61 goals and 34 assists in 232 games for Leicester since joining from Manchester City in 2017.
His greatest season was 2020/2021, when he scored 12 goals in 25 Premier League games. His most recent season was dismal, as he only scored five goals in 23 Championship games, with the majority of his minutes coming from the bench. Iheanacho would still have to cope with limited playing time because Ollie Watkins is definitely Villa’s first choice, but Champions League football would provide opportunities. There would most certainly be rotation, like with Duran.
