Aston Villa interested in signing Serie A talent that would see Unai Emery link up with former player

According to @fishajesnet Aston Villa are interested in signing AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze. The 25-year-old Nigerian international is regarded as a top talent which explains why he already has 268 appearances in professional football to his name. He has four goals in fourteen Champions League appearances so far and would doubt bring exciting quality to Villa Park.

A potential reunion with Unai Emery

207 of those 268 appearances in professional football were made playing for Villarreal in the top flight of Spanish football, La Liga. Chukwueze signed for AC Milan in July 2023 for a fee in the region of €20 million after rising through the junior ranks at Villarreal and establishing himself as a first-team regular. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was in charge at the Spanish club between July 2020 and October 2022, when he left the club to head to Villa Park, and during that time he played a major part in Chukwueze's development.

Chukwueze played a vital part in helping Unai Emery's Villarreal team to unexpectedly reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2022 after scoring the decisive goal against Bayern Munich in the previous round. During his time at the Spanish club, Emery said this about the young Nigerian talent:

"We are very happy with Samuel Chukwueze. He’s growing up with us at this club. His performance is getting better, little by little. He’s young and has a very good future."

- Unai Emery

Chukwueze first burst onto the scene in 2019 in a 4-4 draw between Villarreal and Barcelona. Only 20 years of age at the time, he scored the opening goal and produced an assist as part of a scintillating display whilst up against world-class players such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Philip Coutinho.

In his two years under Emery's management, Chukwueze registered 23 direct goal involvements, before registering 24 combined goals and assists in 2022/23 and then six in his debut season with AC Milan. After slow start to life in Milan, the second half of last season saw Chukwueze produce several outstanding performances as well as scoring against Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League.

"He has confidence, he’s positive, he believes in what he does. He understands what the team has to do on the pitch. He’s a quality player."

- Stefan Pioli (Former AC Milan manager)

Adding quality to the Aston Villa squad

Aston Villa have an abundance of attacking talent in their squad already. Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey and Jaden Philogene are all widely regarded as young, talented wingers. Primarily left-footed and more comfortable playing on the right-hand side, he possesses a similar profile to the likes of Leon Bailey and has been compared to young Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal.

There is no doubt that he would add an exciting, skilful, pacey style of attacking play that would be well suited in an Unai Emery system. Should he join the club though, it would be highly likely that one of the other attacking players mentioned would need to leave the club in order to make room for new talent.

His current contract at Milan expires in 2028 and it is believed that it would not cost much more than the price the Italian club paid for him to bring him to the Premier League.

UTV