Aston Villa eye 'big name' striker for Unai Emery

Aston Villa are keen to sign a “big name” striker for their Spanish manager Unai Emery as they look to strengthening their frontline in the summer.

However, they face stern competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle United in their battle to sign top-on-list forward Randal Kolo Muani.

Randal Kolo Muani has been the subject of a transfer battle between Aston Villa and Newcastle Utd.

According to reports from Europe, Juventus‘ change of manager potentially opens the door for a Premier League move.

Villa and Newcastle have been in a consistent run of form in recent years, moving from mid-table contenders to Champions League qualifiers.

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The two have made the most of their spells amongst the top-four contender in English football, with Villa now in the quarter-finals of the Champions League whilst Newcastle won their first trophy in 70 years weeks ago.

That could see them battle it out for Kolo Muani, who has impressed at Juventus this season since moving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the winter transfer.

A report by Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri states that Juventus’ ‘romance’ with the 26-year-old has only lasted a few weeks, with the departure of boss Thiago Motta putting his future in Turin into question.

Randal Kolo Muani has been the subject of a transfer battle between Aston Villa and Newcastle Utd (Image credit: Getty Images)

The France international has eight goals in 29 caps for his country and 26 strikes in just 50 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt before his move to the Paris.

Although reports indicate his time at PSG couldn’t bring the best out of him, despite costing £77m, it could also be argued that the forward being deployed as a backup to Kylian Mbappe may have also limited his full potential

He’s rediscovered his form at Juventus, scoring five goals in just 11 appearances, earning the name “ice-cold” by the Bundesliga as a result of his bright performance.

However, per the reports, he sees himself making it big on the Premier League stage in the coming years, with hints of the elite league well-suited to his profile as he is capable of playing alone or in a two-man attack.