Aston Villa are reportedly continuing their pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, despite the club not wanting him to leave this summer.
A report from FootballTransfers back in May linked the player with a move to Villa Park, with a number of Premier League clubs swarming at his availability.
Unai Emery is hoping to bolster his squad this transfer window, with a reported £150m to spend after pushing the Villans to a European spot in his first campaign in the Midlands.
Johnson could undoubtedly be a valuable addition to the Spaniard’s squad, however, his services will come at a steep price, with Steve Cooper not wanting to sell the Welshman.
Who wants to buy Brennan Johnson?
As reported by the Daily Mail this week, Villa and Brentford are mentioned as those interested in the attacker, with the Bees speculated to have had a bid of £30m turned down by the Reds.
The report adds that Forest will want a fee around £50m for the 22-year-old, who has been a huge advantage at the City Ground since graduating from the academy.
Where could Brennan Johnson play at Aston Villa?
In a trialling season for the Reds in their return to the Premier League, Johnson stood out as a star performer in Cooper’s side.
The versatile attacker has shone playing in several areas of the front line, predominantly deployed as a right-winger at the City Ground with capabilities of leading the line and conducting play as a central attacking midfielder.
Hailed as a “great finisher” by his manager, the 22-year-old contributed to 11 goals in his debut in the top tier, scoring eight and assisting three in 38 appearances, via Sofascore.
The youngster played a part in every game his side played in the league this season, showing the value placed on him by the club.
It’s clear to see why Forest are reluctant to let the Welshman venture elsewhere, however for Emery, the Nottingham-born gem could be a spark to the revolution of his new look side at Villa Park.
One player in the Spaniard’s plans that could relish playing alongside Johnson is new boy Youri Tielemans, who excels creatively from midfield.
Lauded as a “magician” by writer David Bevan for his ball-playing abilities, the Belgian could form an elusive partnership with the Forest sensation with his distribution suggesting that he could be the perfect outlet.
Averaging 6.95 progressive passes and 6.49 final third passes per 90 in the Premier League, Tielemans shone as a key creator in a lacklustre Leicester City side, via FBref.
The 26-year-old averaged 1.15 key passes per 90 for the Foxes last season, as well as registering 0.46 through balls per 90, with numbers suggesting that Johnson could thrive in playing ahead of the former Anderlecht scholar.
The Welshman is a vibrant asset to have in attack, and with innate finishing abilities, his pace could cause havoc at Villa Park with a player as creatively potent as Tielemans on show.
Hitting a top speed of 36.70 km/h, via OptaJoe, the 22-year-old racked up the second-fastest sprint speed in the league behind treble winner Kyle Walker, proving that he could be the perfect receiver to Tielemans’ distribution.
Averaging 1.29 carries into the penalty area per 90 last term, the Villa target could be unleashed by the Belgian, who with his runs and capabilities in front of goal, could exploit the talents of the 22-year-old at Villa Park.