Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig this summer.
According to German publication BILD, Aston Villa are among a host of clubs interested in securing the services of Emil Forsberg from RB Leipzig in the ongoing transfer window.
Forsberg joined Leipzig from Malmo in 2015 and has been critical to their rise as one of the top clubs in Bundesliga over the past half a decade. To date, the 30-year-old midfielder, who can play in multiple positions in midfield and attack, has made 262 appearances for the German outfit, bagging a tally of 58 goals and 60 assists.
Forsberg, though, has found his role reduced under new manager Domenico Tedesco, which has alerted clubs from across Europe, with Aston Villa among the Swedish international’s admirers.
Aston Villa started their season with a disappointing loss to newly-promoted side Bournemouth but bounced back with a victory over Everton last time out. Manager Steven Gerrard is still seeking reinforcements to the roster as he seeks to build a team capable of pushing for a top seven finish in the Premier League.
The Midlands club have brought in Philippe Coutinho permanently from Barcelona and also have Emiliano Buendia, who can provide the creative element for the team in the final third. Adding Forsberg, who would be performing a similar role, does seem a bit redundant for Aston Villa, although his experience and versatile nature could make the Swede a smart signing.
However, Villa would have to compete with several clubs in pursuit of Forsberg, while the report claims that the 30-year-old is himself not considering an exit from RB Leipzig at the moment, as confirmed by his agent, who also hinted at some discontent within the player.
“There are many inquiries for Emil. But so far a transfer has not been an issue because Emil loves the city and the club,” he said. “Emil has always stood by the club. Now there is a rotation due to the many strong players, which is also ok. What is not ok at all is that Emil is not in this rotation. Emil trains well and deserves respect. But there are people in the club who don’t seem to want that.
“Every time it happens, Emil has to prove himself to a coach. That’s fine, too. But this time Emil is also thwarted in another place. Not the coach, not Oliver Mintzlaff. The one who prefers other players he knows from Salzburg. But that is not right. In the same way, it’s not right when he tries to influence the coach. If something doesn’t fit, then you have to discuss it openly.”
Forsberg still has three years left on his contract with RB Leipzig and it will be interesting to see if Aston Villa decide to act on their reported interest in the 30-year-old.
