Summary
Aston Villa will need to pay 'over the odds' to land Nottingham Forest striker Brennan Johnson in this transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Is Brennan Johnson swapping Nottingham Forest for Aston Villa?
According to The Daily Mail, Aston Villa are 'exploring' a move for Wales international Johnson this summer and his current employers would be open to selling him in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
The report states that a figure of £40 million could be enough to land the £30k-a-week earner; however, Brentford are also keen on striking a deal to bring Johnson to west London.
Last term, the 22-year-old enjoyed a productive campaign for the Tricky Trees as they staved off the threat of relegation from the English top flight, notching ten goals and three assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Of course, Johnson is not the only player that Unai Emery is keen on to bolster his ranks in the final third, with Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby being another name that is set to join the Villans.
Taking to Twitter, Romano delivered an update regarding the state of play surrounding Diaby, with him stating:
"Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa, here we go! French winger has just said yes to Villa, he wants to join Unai Emery’s project — PL football as priority."
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones has detailed that Aston Villa may have to part ways with a significant sum of cash if they are to secure Johnson's signature this window.
Jones stated: "It's obviously Premier League tax that sticks Johnson in that same bracket. But at the same time, you've got a player that's just had his first big breakthrough season. He's done extremely well, he's come on to the radar of three or four other Premier League clubs and as a result of that, you're also going to be made to pay a bit over the odds."
Who else could Aston Villa target this summer?
Aston Villa boss Emery will have several potential additions in his sights as he prepares his side for the challenge of juggling both Premier League and Europa Conference League football this term.
Football Insider report that Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto has emerged as a target for the Villans this window; however, they will face competition from the likes of Everton and other English top flight sides.
The Daily Mail cite that Aston Villa have been offered the opportunity to sign AC Milan midfielder Charles De Ketelaere less than a year after he joined the Serie A giants and it is believed that the Belgium international would be available for around £25 million.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT earlier this month, journalist Jones revealed that Aston Villa are keen on Barcelona forward Ferran Torres, as he said: “There's definite interest there, and they feel he could be a really good player for their system. Getting the two Torres players could be a real good make-up for Aston Villa going forward next season.”
Over the next few weeks, we will begin to get an idea of how Emery plans to shape his squad as the 2023/24 campaign edges nearer to getting underway competitively.