Aston Villa is reportedly eyeing a Leicester City attacker, but they face competition from Everton.
The Villans are exploring the striker market as current option Jhon Duran is expected to leave for Chelsea in a £40 million deal. They are now considering a move for Kelechi Iheanacho.
An opportunity has arisen since the Nigeria international hasn’t signed a new contract with Leicester City and will become a free agent at the end of June. Despite Leicester’s efforts to retain him, Iheanacho’s frustration with reduced game time last season has led him to reject all offers.
Football Insider reports that Villa is monitoring Iheanacho’s situation and has already contacted his representatives. A meeting reportedly took place in Greece before Villa’s UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final loss to Olympiacos, starting discussions about a potential move to Villa Park.
Competition for Iheanacho is strong, with Everton and Newcastle United also showing interest in the past two weeks. This could lead to a three-way battle for his signature, especially since a player of his caliber rarely becomes available for free.
Villa needs to be strategic in their transfer dealings this summer due to the Premier League’s strict profit and sustainability regulations (PSR). The sale of Duran for a significant fee and Douglas Luiz’s swap deal to Juventus will help, but Unai Emery still has limited funds to work with.
Signing Iheanacho could be a smart move for Villa as he wouldn’t cost a transfer fee. The 27-year-old has scored 61 goals and provided 34 assists in 232 appearances for Leicester since joining from Manchester City in 2017. His best season was in 2020/21, with 12 goals in 25 Premier League appearances. Although his recent season was less impressive, with five goals in 23 Championship games, most of his appearances were as a substitute.
Iheanacho would still face limited game time with Ollie Watkins as Villa’s first-choice striker, but Champions League football would provide more opportunities. Rotation similar to what was seen with Duran is also likely.