Aston Villa could sign new Ollie Watkins with monster £40m January transfer – if rivals don’t get there first
Aston Villa need to revitalise their attacking line this January transfer window
Will Aston be regretting their decision to sell Jhon Duran and keep Ollie Watkins last January? While it seemed a brave move at the time, with the England striker’s loss of form in the season that he turned 30 it would be a surprise if they don’t target a centre forward in 2026.
While Donyell Malen has been in fantastic goal-scoring form so far this season after an inauspicious start to life at Villa Park, aged 26 he’s still yet to prove himself as a consistent forward in a big five league.
Malen only hit double figures once in three-and-a-half Bundesliga seasons at Borussia Dortmund and he only started nine times in all competitions in 2024/25 before he was sent to the Midlands. With all due respect to Aston Villa, there’s a reason why The Prussians were willing to sell and why no bigger team than the Midland side wanted to buy him.
So the Villans should target a young striker who’s ideally a proven goalscorer and has the potential to develop into an all-round threat at least as good as Watkins at his best – if not better. And thankfully, one such player will be on the market in January – FC Midtjylland’s Franculino Dju.
Franculino can terrorise Premier League defences
With 20 goals in 24 games for Midtjylland this season across the Superliga, Europa League proper and Danish FA Cup, Franculino has established himself as one of the hottest striker prospects on the continent in the space of just a few months.
A product of Benfica’s academy, Franculino failed to impress in Portugal and took a while to catch fire in Denmark but he’s been almost unplayable this season. One of the best finishers in Europe, Franculino is also a demon dribbler and one of the best strikers in the Europa League for successful take-ons, and for carries into the final third.
While he’s not a prolific provider of assists just yet, he takes set pieces for Midtjylland while he’s industrious out of possession too, ranking highly among his peers for tackles and blocks. In short, he’s shown he could be the complete article.
The issue for Roberto Olabe and Unai Emery may well be attracting him to Villa Park in the first place though. He’s been linked with pretty much the whole Premier League and if Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur are interested then they have financial pulling power that Aston Villa can’t match.
Likewise David Moyes’ project on Merseyside is an exciting one where Franculino could have an instant path to the first-team, and he has suitors from continental Europe’s elite including AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
A price tag of £40 million was floated for Franculino earlier this season though he could well end up costing north of that. However, for a striker who could eclipse even Watkins’ impact in B6, that could end up being a bargain. And if Franculino can replicate his Midtjylland form in the Premier League he will be worth twice or three times that fee in the space of just a few seasons.
Aston Villa Eyeing Newcastle Star William Osula in January
Aston Villa Eyeing Move to Sign ‘Dangerous’ Newcastle Star in January for Unai Emery
Matt Smith is a football writer covering the Premier League and exclusive news for GIVEMESPORT. Matt joined the company in March 2023 and is an avid Everton supporter who regularly attends games in his spare time
He has previously worked for CaughtOffside where he covered world football including transfers, match reports, previews, and more.
He also creates tactical analysis social media content and regularly appears on podcasts. After spending a few years coaching, playing, and analysing football, Matt moved over to the writing side of the game a few years ago.
Matt also works in commentary and match reporting, providing detailed analysis on some of the biggest games in England and Europe, with his reports regularly published on the Premier League website.
He has amassed over 23,000 followers on X by giving his insight on football, predominantly focusing on the tactical side of the game.
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Aston Villa are admirers of Newcastle United striker William Osula as Unai Emery looks to bring in attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window, according to MailOnline.
The Midlands club are enjoying a phenomenal season as they sit in third position in the Premier League, despite their disappointing 4-1 defeat to league leaders Arsenal last time out. Emery and his recruitment team won’t want to rest on what they’ve built so far, and the January window is an opportunity for them to strengthen their squad once again.
Villa’s main centre-forward option is Ollie Watkins, while Donyell Malen has also been used in the striker position at times this season. Malen has predominantly been utilised as a wide player during his time at Villa Park, so Emery might be in the market for more of a natural striker to compete with Watkins.
Aston Villa Looking for Versatile Attacking Options
According to MailOnline, Aston Villa are looking to bring in a versatile forward during the January transfer window. It’s claimed that the Villans are admirers of Newcastle striker Osula, who has fallen down the pecking order at St James’ Park, with Eddie Howe having Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade at his disposal.
Villa recently confirmed the signing of young winger Alysson from Gremio, for a fee of around £10m. The tricky youngster is an attacking addition, but it’s unclear at the moment how much he’s going to be utilised in the senior squad, considering he’s just 19 years of age.
Alysson is likely to be a player for the future, rather than the now, so it’s no surprise that Villa remain in the market for further forward reinforcements.
Osula Has Been Unfortunate at Newcastle
Reports claimed after the summer transfer window that Aston Villa had actually agreed a deal to sign Osula from Newcastle, before the move fell through. The Danish forward then remained with the Magpies, and he’s struggled to make an impact after they signed both Woltemade and Wissa.
Before that, Osula, described as ‘dangerous’ by Breaking The Lines, was having to compete with Alexander Isak for a place in the starting XI, so he’s never had it easy at Newcastle. There’s no doubt he needs a fresh start in order to continue his development, and Villa could hopefully offer him more regular minutes than he’s currently receiving at Newcastle.