Aston Villa are scouring the market for wide options before the culmination of the January transfer window, and might have found the answer to their quandary in the shape of Leeds United’s Jack Harrison.
A plethora of names have been thrown into the rumour mill at Villa Park since Unai Emery took the managerial reins in October, with the signings of Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran already tied up before the frenetic energy that comes with the closing days of the transfer market.
However, recent developments have linked the Midlands outfit with a swoop for Leeds’ Harrison, with talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook stating that Emery is set to rival Premier League rivals Leicester City and Newcastle United in the pursuit of the player.
The Foxes have already tabled an official £20m bid, but with Newcastle recently completing the £45m acquisition of Anthony Gordon from Everton, interest from Tyneside might fade out this month; regardless, Villan technical director Johan Lange must pounce now if he is to secure a proven asset in the English top-flight.
Forget Nico Williams…
Last week, Villan technical director attempted to launch an ambitious bid to prise Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams away from Basque Country, but the player rebuffed advances after a £44m official bid had been made.
Names such as Real Betis’ Luiz Henrique have also been considered, but by opting to traverse the Premier League route could be a path that bears fruit for Emery as he seeks clarity over the vigour and cohesion of his aspiring outfit.
Should Aston Villa sign Jack Harrison?
Yes
No
And the former Manchester City youngster, who signed for the Whites in an £11m permanent deal following a three-year loan spell in Yorkshire, certainly knows the intricacies of the Premier League after starring for United’s robust outfit following promotion from the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign.
Never featuring for the Man City first team, Harrison has scored 30 goals and served 29 assists from 186 appearances for Leeds, including 30 direct contributions from 88 Premier League appearances.
And this season, the 26-year-old has scored two goals and provided seven assists from 18 starts across all competitions, evidence that his prospective arrival could spark the next level of creativity to lift Villa further up the table after clinching five wins from the seven league matches with Emery at the helm.
An “explosive” winger – as dubbed by Jesse Marsch – of Harrison’s calibre must be considered by Johan Lange, with his signature weakening Leeds’ aspirations and enhancing Villa’s own options.
And at less than half the price of Williams, an immensely talented but relatively unknown commodity, landing the gem could be the more prudent avenue for Emery to delve down in order to bolster his side before the business end of the current term.
