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Aston Villa want to sign Teun Koopmeiners with £30m demand already made
Aston Villa are interested in signing Dutch international midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, with Atalanta looking to get at least £30million for their man, according to FootMercato.
The 25-year-old has two years left on his contract and is on the radar of many Italian sides including Napoli, Juventus and Inter Milan. Villa also faces competition closer to home as Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton are also interested.
Unai Emery is reportedly keen to sign the former Alkmaar star as he believes he will fit his system well at Villa Park.
Tough competition
While Aston Villa are enjoying their new-found transfer pull with Emery in charge in the West Midlands, even they may find it difficult to compete with such clubs.
Italian giants like Napoli and Inter will be hard to decline, especially as Koopmeiners has plenty of experience in the Serie A and would relish the chance to play in the Champions League again after Atalanta failed to this season.
Aston Villa also have made a shrewd midfield signing in the form of Youri Tielemans on a free transfer after his Leicester City contract expired.
That being said, Koopmeiners’ game is much different to Tielemans and certainly has the skill set to impact Villa’s attack from midfield.
He is a creative force from Atalanta’s midfield, registering 4.16 shot-creating actions per 90 (95th percentile) as well as 3.34 progressive passes [FBRef].
However, the Dutchman may be tempted by interest from the south coast of England. Brighton have been linked to Koopmeiners since last month [CalcioMercato] who find themselves in a very similar position to Villa having earned European football last season.
The competition will be stiff and Emery will be lucky to snatch the highly-rated midfielder from Atalanta amid interest from some of football’s big boys, but the £30million price tag would be within Villa’s budget.
Most likely, if Koopmeiners leaves, he could hand-pick his future destination and Emery will be hoping it’s Birmingham.
In other Aston Villa news, pundit baffled by “strange” Leeds United transfer clauses as Emery’s side look to sign Tyler Adams.