Aston Villa have reportedly held initial talks ahead of a summer transfer swoop for Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
The Nigeria international’s contract is set to expire in June and he’s yet to agree a new deal with the Foxes, opening up a free transfer option for several interested parties.
Villa are claimed to be keen on signing Iheanacho if he does indeed become available for nothing. The 27-year-old, who joined Leicester from Manchester City in 2017 for a fee of £25 million, has scored just six goals across all competitions this term but he’s mainly been utilised off the bench.
That’s been the story ever since Iheanacho joined the club as he has played second fiddle to Jamie Vardy. Patson Daka’s presence and the recent acquisitions of Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu haven’t helped, either.
Monchi, President of Football Operations at Villa, is said to have spoken with Iheanacho’s camp as recently as Thursday, May 9. The meeting reportedly took place in Greece before the Villans’ Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against Olympiacos.
Would Villa and Iheanacho be a good match?
Signing any experienced Premier League striker for free normally tends to be good business but Iheanacho will have to be content with being a squad player. Ollie Watkins is undoubtedly the first-choice forward at Villa Park, while hot prospect Jhon Duran is highly rated.
If Iheanacho is fine with helping off the bench and featuring in cup competitions, then it could be a good move. But Villa must take care not to sign a player who could become unhappy quickly. Perhaps it’s not the best fit, but anything can happen in the transfer window – especially in the free agents’ market.
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