Aston Villa are among the clubs keeping tabs on a potential future star for Unai Emery as they look to cement their spot among the elite of English football.
Aston Villa make Champions League return
After 41 years, Aston Villa finally made their return to Europe’s Premier competition as they beat Young Boys 3-0 at the Wankdorf stadium on Tuesday. Youri Tielemans had the honour of scoring their first goal in the competition, before goals from fellow midfielders Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey ensured that they ran out comfortable winners despite enduring a tricky opening 20 minutes.
It could have been an even more comfortable scoreline, with both Ollie Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran having goals ruled out by VAR for a pair of handballs, as Villa got their European campaign off to the perfect start.
In the Premier League, it has been a similarly impressive start to the campaign, with a defeat against Arsenal the only blot on their copybook after four games.
Though they are yet to blow any side away, they have secured one-goal wins over Leicester City and West Ham before they came from 2-0 down to beat Everton 3-2 in their most recent outing, courtesy of an excellent strike from Duran.
It comes after a long summer for the Villans, who were forced to part ways with Douglas Luiz for financial fair play reasons and signed eight new faces, several of whom have already hit the ground running.
Aston Villa’s new signings (summer 2024)
Player
Age when signed
Fee
Amadou Onana
23
£50m
Ian Maatsen
22
£37m
Cameron Archer
22
£14m
Jaden Philogene
22
£13.5m
Lewis Dobbin
21
£8m
Samuel Iling-Junior
20
£11.8m + add-ons
Enzo Barrenechea
23
£6.7m + add-ons
Ross Barkley
30
£5m
Part of their plan has been to sign younger players for the squad, with only one of their additions over the age of 23, and now they have been tipped to sign yet another young talent.
Aston Villa in race to sign teenage gem
That comes as local journalists in Brazil have claimed that Villa are among the sides watching Brazil U20 international striker Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha (Rayan).
A member of the Vasco de Gama senior side, having been promoted from their youth side at the beginning of the Brazilian season, he has scored three goals and grabbed one assist in 32 appearances, with those outings largely coming off the substitutes’ bench.
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Out of contract in 2025, it is claimed that a move in January to sign the young talent could be on the cards as Vasco try to raise some much needed funds, with the teenager currently valued at £5m by transfermarkt.
“The player has attracted interest from teams such as Porto, Fiorentina, Milan, Betis, Aston Villa and Lyon”, it is reported, while Vasco “must sell an asset in the coming months to put its [their] finances in order”. They add that “Vasco and the player’s staff have already received some inquiries” for the youngster, though it is not specified whether Villa are among those to formalise their interest.
The teenager is certainly one to watch, with football analyst Ben Mattinson dubbing him an “all-round powerhouse” on X, adding that “his first step can burn a defence for pace”. At just £5m, Villa could well deem it too good to pass up, and with the success of Duran since swapping the Americas for the Premier League, it may well be seen as a risk worth taking.