Aston Villa in scrap to sign Stefanos Tzimas amid Chelsea development
Aston Villa are among the clubs interested in signing Stefanos Tzimas, according to Patrick Berger.
The Sky Deutschland journalist reported via his personal X account (16 December) that the 18-year-old is attracting significant interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea keeping tabs on his situation "very closely" and, Newcastle and Villa placing him on their transfer shortlist.
He is currently on loan at Nurnberg from PAOK, but the German second-tier club plan to trigger the £14.9million buy option and take advantage of interest from the likes of Villa by selling him for a profit of around £2.5-4.1m.
What does Stefanos Tzimas interest mean for Aston Villa strikers?
At 18, Tzimas is one of the most exciting prospects in Greece. He has been in red-hot form for Nurnberg, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 13 league games so far.
It is, therefore, easy to see why several Premier League clubs are monitoring his situation in Germany.
However, it is unclear why Unai Emery's side hold an interest in him as they already have two top centre-forwards in their ranks - Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran,
Considering that Tzimas is still a teenager and is playing in the second division of German football, he could be one for the future at Villa Park.
Aston Villa's interest in the Greece Under-21s international could suggest that they expect to sell Duran, 21, for a hefty profit in the future.
With Watkins turning 30 next year and Duran possibly on his way out, it makes sense to sign a talented hitman like Tzimas for a comparatively lower fee before someone else does.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has held individual talks with his players after recent developments.