Are Aston Villa Interested in Argentinian Striker?

Rumours in Argentina are that Unión de Santa Fe striker Franco Soldano could be on his way to B6.  Several websites, including Sin Mortaza, are reporting that the $5 million rated player will be leaving the Superliga Argentina side in January.

It appears that Unión are determined to sell their prized asset whilst he has some value.  The report states that he has travelled to Europe to arrange an EU passport and has already returned home for Christmas. He has been linked with numerous clubs, including Nottingham Forest, but Aston Villa and PAOK are the latest to be reported.

Soldano’s current form is six goals and two assists in twelve appearances for Unión.  WhoScored describes his strengths as “through balls”, “aerial duels”, “headed attempts” and his “defensive contribution”. At 6 feet 1 inches, you would expect his strength to be in the air whilst his weakness is “passing”.

It has been a successful season so far for club and player.  Unión are currently in third place in the Superliga, eight points behind leaders Boca Juniors. The club are looking to offload their striker to the highest bidder before the league resumption at the end of January.

Next: More Transfer Rumours

Soldano’s overall career, fifteen goals in 57 appearances, doesn’t suggest that he is a prolific striker.  He has also lost six months earlier in his career to a serious injury. If he were to move, it would be a massive challenge.  A new team, a new style of football and a new home would unsettle Soldano for a while.

Although he meets the criteria of being a striker, in form and available, it seems to be unlikely that there is too much in this story at this stage.  The FFP regulations are reeled out ad nauseum whenever transfer rumours circulate so his price tag is prohibitive.  More importantly, it would be a gamble to bring a striker from South America and expect immediate results.