(Credit: Imago)

Aston Villa have found next Ollie Watkins as contact is made for 22-goal striker

Correspondent AUTHORITY Football journalist with experience at the Edinburgh Evening News and GRV Media; Masters graduate from the University of Derby. FOCUS Scottish Premiership coverage with specialist knowledge of Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen, and Motherwell. THE INSIGHT Jack utilises a network of club and industry contacts across the Scottish Premiership to deliver verified, high-speed reporting. He provides the tactical and transfer insight behind the headlines to ensure fans get the full story as it happens.

Published on:

16 Nov 2025, 1:40 pm

Aston Villa have made an enquiry for Kaio Jorge after his excellent campaign to date.

The 23-year-old Brazilian forward has already netted 22 goals in 41 matches in all competitions, which has caught the eye of plenty of Brazilian clubs.

Villa has reportedly sent scouts out to watch Jorge at a recent Cruzeiro match.

Now, the Birmingham outfit have gone one step further to prize the attacker to Villa Park as they look to end their woes up top.

Kaio Jorge has been excellent this season Credit: Imago

Kaio Jorge can be Ollie Watkins’ successor

A report from GOAL emerged on 14 November stating that Villa have made an enquiry for Jorge.

Unai Emery’s side have followed Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen in making this move. However, formal offers to acquire the player have not yet arrived.

It was previously reported that Cruzeiro want £30.8million for Jorge, and the article goes on to say that the Brazilian outfit will only open negotiations at the end of the season.

Jorge joined Cruzeiro in 2024
The attacker is now a Brazilian international, earning his first cap in 2025
Villa are one of several European clubs interested in the 23 year old

However, everything indicates that the attacker could be the next main man at Villa Park.

Watkins has struggled so far this season at Villa, with the England international only netting once in the Premier League this campaign.

Stats comparison	Ollie Watkins	Kaio Jorge
Goals	0.55	0.65
xG	0.53	0.59
Shots	2.90	3.43
Shots on target	1.38	1.49
Assists	0.28	0.27
Expected assists	0.07	0.06
Chances created	0.86	0.91
Touches in opposition box	6.28	5.68
Passing accuracy	74.2%	77.9%

Watkins and Jorge have very similar stats

When comparing the Villa striker’s Premier League stats from last season to Jorge’s Serie A stats this season on Fotmob on 16 November, they are extremely similar, especially in attack.

Therefore, it seems that Emery has identified Jorge as Watkins’ successor. However, it must be remembered that the Premier League is significantly harder than the Brazilian Serie A.

Read more: Evann Guessand is new scapegoat as one Aston Villa star is Unai Emery’s real issue

Is buying straight from the Brazilian Serie A risky?

In recent years, it has been risky to buy straight from the Brazilian Serie A.

West Ham’s Luis Guilherme has been awful since his big-money move to the London Stadium last season, and now rarely gets minutes.

However, there have been some recent successes. Estevao has had a bright start to his Chelsea career, and Wolves duo Andre and Joao Gomes were excellent in the Premier League up until this season.

Therefore, while signing Jorge could be risky, there have been plenty of recent successes.

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Ollie Watkins

Kaio Jorge