Aston Villa are reportedly hoping to sign Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson, whose price tag is £50 million.
Dean Jones has told Give Me Sport that Aston Villa are determined to sign Brennan Johnson. But it will be interesting to see if they are willing to pay his £50 million asking price that Nottingham Forest have slapped on him.
Brennan Johnson had an impressive campaign with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last season, as he scored 10 goals across all competitions. The 22-year-old has the potential to develop into a top-class player, and he could transform Aston Villa going forward.
The West Midlands club were overly dependent on Ollie Watkins last season, and they need to bring in quality attackers to support the striker. Johnson should prove to be a superb acquisition for the West Midlands club. But it remains to be seen whether they can agree on a deal with Nottingham Forest, who want £50 million to part ways with him.
Aston Villa have been linked with players like Moussa Diaby as well. It is clear that they are looking to improve the wide areas in the attack. The opportunity to play for Aston Villa could be an attractive option for the 22-year-old Nottingham Forest attacker, and he would get to experience European football with them as well.
Furthermore, Villa have a top-class manager like Unai Emery in charge, and the opportunity to work with the Spaniard can prove to be hard to turn down. Emery is a proven winner across Europe, and he has the pedigree to transform Aston Villa into a formidable unit.
Johnson will be hoping to take the next step in his career, and a move to Villa Park would certainly be ideal for his development. Aston Villa showed tremendous improvement under the Spaniard last season, and they will look to build on that and finish further up the table next season.
Signing the right players could prove to be crucial in their quest for an impressive campaign, and Johnson would certainly be a superb, long-term investment. The 22-year-old has the potential to develop into a key attacker for Aston Villa. Although the £50 million asking price seems quite steep right now, the talented young attacker has the ability to justify the outlay in the long run.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa have shown a lot of ambition in the transfer market so far, and they have improved their defence and midfield so far. It remains to be seen whether they can wrap up an impressive transfer window with the signing of Johnson in the coming weeks.
Good player with undoubted potential but £50 m is too steep, I would go with £35 m or at a push nearer £40m. That’s just my opinion but obviously it’s how the club see it.