Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Real Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi in the January transfer window.
Unai Emery has enjoyed a bright start to life at Villa Park, winning the opening two Premier League games against Manchester United and Brighton. He couldn’t have asked for more from the Villa players, and while Man United eliminated them from Carabao Cup third round, there is a real sense of optimism brewing around the club.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Aston Villa are planning to make a move for RCD Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi, but could face competition from Sevilla, who are looking to invest in January in a bid to move away from the relegation zone.
Muriqi, 28, only joined RCD Mallorca on loan from Lazio in January before the deal was turned permanent in the summer. The Kosovo international has enjoyed a brilliant first part of the 2022/23 campaign, scoring eight goals in 12 La Liga matches so far. However, after struggling at Lazio, he intends to continue with Mallorca and will not leave the Spanish club in January, the report adds.
Vedat Muriqi to Aston Villa—Good move?
Aston Villa are 12th in the league table and they will be aiming for a top-half finish under Unai Emery. The January window will provide Emery with a good opportunity to address the problematic areas of his squad, and the new Villa boss apparently wants to bolster his strike force.
In Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings and Cameron Archer, Emery does have decent centre-forward options to cope for the rest of the season. Watkins and Ings have done well in Emery’s first three games in charge and are set to play a big role for the club when the Premier League resumes. However, the Spanish tactician wants to add further bite to his attacking options and has set his sights on Vedat Muriqi.
Muriqi has produced a series of productive displays while spearheading Mallorca’s attack. He has made a huge difference in the final third of the pitch by averaging 3.1 shots, 1 key pass, 0.2 dribbles and 0.6 long balls per game in La Liga. He has also helped the team defensively when required by putting in 0.5 tackles, 0.3 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per 90 minutes (Stats courtesy: WhoScored).
The Kosovan striker was in great form before the World Cup break and could be an upgrade on the injury-prone Danny Ings. He could prove to be an inspired signing for Villa, improving an area of the pitch that has arguably looked fragile at times this season.
However, going by Muriqi’s reported desire to continue with Mallorca at least for the rest of the season, it will be interesting to see if the Villans can persuade him to join Emery’s forces in the coming months.