Aston Villa to make Kelechi Iheanacho transfer call after new Leicester City announcement
Aston Villa will “look at other options” rather than singing Kelechi Iheanacho during the summer transfer window, according to Alan Hutton.
The 27-year-old striker has had a difficult season with the Foxes in the Championship, only scoring five goals in 23 appearances and it has now been confirmed that he will depart the King Power Stadium as a free agent this summer.
Reports had suggested that Villa and Unai Emery were keen to replicate their signing of Youri Tielemans and bring the Nigerian forward to Villa Park as a free agent after Iheanacho snubbed a contract extension with Leicester [Football Insider, 2 May].
However, Hutton believes the Villans would be better off standing by Jhon Duran next season, admitting that he doesn’t believe Iheanacho has what it takes to help Villa as they prepare to return to the Champions League.
“That’s a strange one that’s come from left field for me,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“I’m not so sure, it’s not one that fills me with loads of excitement if I’m totally honest, especially if Duran is there and you’ve already got a backup there.
“Are they going to bring somebody else in that’s really going to help out up there? I don’t know and I don’t know if he is the answer as you move into the Champions League and fight for the top four.
“He’s not for me at this moment in time and I think there will be other options. But, we’ll see. They know a lot about football and what certain players can bring in certain situations so we’ll see how it goes.
“But it’s not one that fills me full of excitement if I’m totally honest.”
Will Aston Villa and Unai Emery sign a new striker during the summer transfer window?
A new number nine will likely be on Emery’s shopping list this summer, as the Spaniard has been rather reliant on the goals of Ollie Watkins throughout his tenure at Villa Park.
While the Englishman has been a consistent source of goals over the last few seasons, speculation continues to circle around his future with the Villans and there is a real possibility he won’t be an Aston Villa player next season.
In flashes, Duran has shown that he can be a real difference-maker at the top end of the pitch, but the Colombian has also been linked with a move away this summer which means a new centre-forward is a must.
But Iheanacho is not a good enough centre-forward to start week in and week out for a team challenging at the top of the Premier League. This may well be a cheap deal to pursue, but Emery would be better off splashing the cash to get a top-class number nine.
In other Aston Villa news, Nicolo Zaniolo is finished at Villa Park after a new Fabrizio Romano update emerged
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