Aston Villa are ready to join Tottenham and West Ham in the race to sign Weston McKennie, who is set to leave Juventus in January.
A recent report from The Sun has offered an update on Weston McKennie’s transfer saga. The Juventus star is being tipped to leave Turin in the upcoming January transfer window after falling behind in the pecking order under Massimiliano Allegri.
Previous reports about McKennie had claimed that the American international is being valued at €30 million, with Tottenham Hotspur interested in his services. And now, it appears Aston Villa are now mulling over a move for the midfielder, with Dean Smith intent on bolstering his options in the middle of the park.
The Villans do already have a solid midfield unit. But they are keen on adding more quality to the side, with McKennie emerging as the ideal candidate. The young American has struggled during his time at Juventus, but he offers significant experience to the table as well as the youthful exuberance that tunes in well with Smith’s tactical philosophy.
However, Aston Villa are set to face stiff competition in the pursuit of McKennie. As mentioned earlier, Tottenham have registered interest in the former Schalke prodigy, with their managerial director Fabio Paratici having close ties to the player due to their time together at Juventus.
In addition to Spurs and Villa, West Ham are the other team keen on securing the services of the 23-year-old. The Hammers are in need of new midfielders now more than ever amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Declan Rice.
In fact, the Englishman is more than likely to leave London Stadion next summer, which could create a massive void in the club’s midfield unit. West Ham are now intent on filling that void by roping in McKennie.
Although the Juventus starlet is not a direct replacement for Rice, his attacking nature should combine well with the more defensive-minded Tomas Soucek, ultimately adding more balance to the West Ham team.
Nevertheless, the intense competition surrounding McKennie doesn’t bode well for Aston Villa, though it is fair to point out that they have made some high end moves in the market lately, notably bringing in Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen.
Therefore, very few would beg against them, as far as the pursuit of McKennie is concerned. But with Tottenham and West Ham also keen, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes in the upcoming months.
