Aston Villa set to miss out on another transfer target

Following the news that Joao Felix is very unlikely at this stage to join Aston Villa, the claret and blue outfit are now set to miss out on another transfer target.

This time it's TSG 1899 Hoffenheim forward Maximilian Beier. The young German international forward scored 16 league goals for his club last season and as a result has attracted interest from top clubs around Europe. It appears, despite interest from Unai Emery and Aston Villa, that he is on the brink of signing for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Sky reporter Florian Plettenburg claims that Dortmund are closing in on a deal to sign Beier for a fee in the region of £25 million following Niclas Fullkrug's move to West Ham United.

The news comes as a blow to Villa fans who have recently seen other players favour moves to other clubs. Unai Emery's 'dream target' in Joao Felix is edging closer to a return to Barcelona despite a lot of pushing from Villa to sign the Portuguese international. The news also comes after a deal that would have seen Jhon Duran leave the club to West Ham collapse in the last week which means Villa have been unable to make the money from that deal or replace Duran with a better player.

Dortmund would be signing one of the most talented young forwards in European football should Beier sign with the club. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim sporting director recently said:

""Maxi Beier is a super guy and an extremely talented striker. He is incredibly fast and dangerous""

Having also lost Moussa Diaby earlier this summer, Villa are still looking to add the quality and depth needed in forward areas ahead of their Champions League campaign. Jaden Philogene re-signed for the club last month alongside Cameron Archer but concern amongst the fans will no doubt grow at the lack of proven elite, Champions League level quality being added to the squad.

UTV