Aston Villa have lined up a new summer transfer target as their standoff with Liverpool over the future of Harvey Elliott continues to roll on.
The Birmingham side are currently at a crossroads with the reigning Premier League champions over Elliott, who would join Unai Emery’s side on a permanent £30 million transfer should he make 10 appearances.
Neither club are willing to compromise on their stance over the England international, meaning that the 22-year-old is stuck in limbo for the remainder of the season. However, it seems that Villa have begun to plan for his exit in the summer, having identified a potential new target.
European Star Available At Slashed Price
According to Portuguese outlet Record, which was later relayed by TEAMtalk, the Villans have identified Sporting CP winger Geny Catamo as a future target as Emery looks to renovate his attacking options heading into a likely Champions League campaign.
It is reported that the Mozambique forward could head to the West Midlands for a discounted price of £17 million in the summer, heavily reduced from his current release clause of £52 million, which is viewed as a way to dissuade their league rivals in poaching the 25-year-old.
Catamo has been a long-term target for the Villa Park club, having previously scouted him in the summer, but ultimately opted to make moves for Evann Guessand, Jadon Sancho and finally Harvey Elliott, who was signed on loan on deadline day.
A further addition was made out wide in January, securing Alysson Edward from Gremio on New Year’s Day, with the Brazilian making his debut against Brighton & Hove Albion last week.
Catamo has been at Sporting since 2020, and emerged as a regular starting option over the past few years. This campaign is promising to be his best one yet in green and white, with six goals and three assists across all competitions so far.
Do Villa Need New Options?
With Harvey Elliott likely to be stuck in purgatory until his loan ends in May, it seems that Aston Villa are already planning for his exit with a new option in Geny Catamo.
Arguably, all of their offensive signings this season have been underwhelming, with Jadon Sancho struggling to make an impact and Evann Guessand already being shipped off on loan to Crystal Palace.
It is early days for Alysson Edward, but it does seem that players like Morgan Rogers and John McGinn need fresh options to work with in addition to the January signing, and Catamo could be that man.
Despite not delivering outstanding numbers for Sporting CP during his time there, he has been a reliable option and has been injury-free as opposed to players at Villa Park like McGinn and Emi Buendia.
