Aston Villa already holding talks to sign Ollie Watkins upgrade this summer

Aston Villa are now far removed from the extraordinary winning run that boosted them up at the start of the season. Hopes of winning the Premier League feel far-fetched, but Unai Emery’s side remain in a strong position to return to the Champions League.

However, several stars are out of form, and with a concerted effort being made to win the Europa League, there’s a sense that the injury-hit side have been stretched a bit too thin.

Recent Premier League defeats against Wolves and Chelsea have certainly hampered Emery’s ambitions, and the frustrating form of Ollie Watkins at number nine has given the Spaniard some chewy food for thought.

For now, Watkins needs to get back to his best, but the powers that be are already looking to upgrade on the England international come summer.

Aston Villa in talks to sign striker

Watkins is still one of the best strikers in the Premier League, but he’s now 30 years old and has undoubtedly accumulated some wear and tear over the years.

Emery would hope that he remains at the club over the coming years, but NSWE Group might be wise to sign some competition, a forward who could eclipse the Three Lions star.

And in Jonathan David, Aston Villa may well have found their man. According to TEAMtalk this week, they are among the clubs that are being kept informed on the Juventus striker’s situation at Juventus.

Canadian captain David joined the Italian giants after his contract with LOSC Lille expired last summer. He’s had something of a rocky time in Turin, but his past success as a consistent goalscorer at the highest level suggests he would be a fantastic addition at Villa Park.

Of course, there are many other clubs interested. In particular, Leeds United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur from the Premier League.

Why Aston Villa should sign David

Aston Villa signed Tammy Abraham for about £18m during the January transfer window, so they are well stocked at number nine.

Watkins is potentially edging toward a lesser role in an Aston Villa shirt. He’s not been at his best in the Premier League, and across eight Europa League, two FA Cup and one Carabao Cup outings, he has blanked both in front of goal and as a direct creator.

Furthermore, when you consider that the veteran has only bagged once across eight recent top-flight outings, it becomes clear that Villa are lacking the sharp and dynamic focal point who has been present throughout Emery’s reign.

And David, while struggling at Juventus, has a brilliant track record in France, where he posted 109 goals and 31 assists across 232 appearances.

This year, he has only seven goals and five assists across 37 matches for Juventus, but it’s worth noting that after a painfully slow start, he has notched four goals and three assists from 11 previous Serie A outings.

Technically astute and capable of dynamic, unpredictable movements, David isn’t actually too dissimilar from Watkins, and in that, he could be the perfect successor.

David, like the English star, is also versatile, having dropped deeper on many occasions throughout his senior career. Moreover, his exploits in France have even led podcast host Tony Marinaro to hail him as “one of the best strikers in the world“, and if he can replicate similar form in the English Midlands, he would certainly prove an upgrade on the current version of Watkins.

While it would be unlikely that Emery green-lights Watkins’ departure from Villa Park this summer, David’s arrival could be a shrewd move with long-term benefits.

His arrival would certainly signal a changing of the guard at centre-forward.

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