Douglas Luiz's move to Juventus has yet to be finalised. Aston Villa are under pressure to adhere to Premier League profit and sustainability (PSR) rules before the end of the month and the Brazil midfielder has been sacrificed.
According to Gianluca di Marzio, Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior are poised to move to Villa Park in the same deal, but the former is currently holding up the deal, having yet to agree terms. Still, the move is very much on, with McKennie expected to ply his trade under Unai Emery next season.
The USMNT midfielder is talented but failed to impress during his loan spell with Leeds United in 2022/23. He will need support to reach his zenith, and Villa are lining up a new forward who could be the perfect partner for the 25-year-old.
Villa eyeing new striker
As per Football Insider, Aston Villa are hoping to strengthen their frontline with the signing of Tammy Abraham this summer, who are open to selling the striker.
Abraham enjoyed an instrumental loan spell at Villa Park in 2018/19, scoring 26 goals as the club got promoted to the Premier League. He has since enjoyed a trophy-laden career but missed most of the 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury.
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are also thought to be interested in the £20m-rated Englishman, but Emery will hope his outfit's connection to the player holds sway.
Imagine Tammy Abraham & Weston McKennie
There is rarely an obvious branching point in a player's career, but Abraham cut his teeth at Aston Villa and honed his ability ahead of a prosperous few years.
An ACL rupture suffered on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign restricted him to only two Serie A starts last term, scoring one goal and adding one assist.
Standing at 6 foot 3, Abraham has scored 36 goals and provided 12 assists across 107 matches for his Italian club, notably notching a 27-goal haul during the 2021/22 campaign, scoring nine goals in the Europa Conference League en route to the title.
He's been hailed as a "goal machine" by former coach Stephen Elliott and would offer something different, more of a focal point, to that of Ollie Watkins. His imposing style up front would benefit McKennie greatly.
Matches played
34
Matches started
29
Goals
0
Assists
7
Pass completion
81%
Touches per game
44.9
Key passes per game
1.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.4
Tackles per game
1.4
Dribbles per game
0.5 (38%)
Duels won per game
3.4 (50%)
McKennie might have flattered to deceive during his loan spell with imperilled Leeds but this should not define him as a player. Last season, back in Turin, he was a key figure in the middle of the park and demonstrated a rounded skill set.
The 25-year-old's seven-assist total would obviously help Abraham, whose silky footwork could be a good target point for the American's distribution, but deeper analysis highlights the reason this would be so successful.
As per FBref, the Old Lady midfielder ranked among the top 5% of midfielders in Serie A last season for assists, which is great, but he also ranked among the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 17% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 7% for progressive passes received per 90.
A forward-scurrying star, his athleticism and passion for pushing forward and influencing play would give Villa's prospective new striker a steady stream of creative support.
Given that he also ranked among the top 9% for crosses into the penalty area, his dynamic delivery also suggests that Abraham could find his noggin meeting ball with prolific constancy.
Watkins is the main man at Villa Park but with Jhon Duran mooted for a move to Chelsea, Abraham could be the perfect supplementary to add a dimension as Emery and his troops march toward Europe's elite club competitions.
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