Report: Aston Villa plotting January bid for skilful Man United target likened to Georginio Wijnaldum
11/16/2024 01:45 PM
Aston Villa and Manchester United are both sitting in and around mid-table and will hope to kick on for a more fruitful second half of the season.
The Villans have suffered a downturn in form and currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, while the Red Devils are 13th in the standings.
Unai Emery may well be keen on improving Aston Villa’s strength in depth, while new Man United boss Ruben Amorim could look at bringing in his own players as early as January.
Now, according to a report from CaughtOffside, the Villans are plotting a move for a Red Devils target who has taken La Liga by storm this season.
READ MORE: Dominic Solanke and Jack Grealish message Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers in wake of England debut
Aston Villa ahead of Manchester United in Oihan Sancet race
The player in question is Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oihan Sancet and, according to CaughtOffside, both Villa and Man United are interested in the 24-year-old.
However, the Villans’ interest seems more concrete – the report claims they are likely to make a significant bid in the upcoming January transfer window.
Villa scouts have apparently watched many of Sancet’s games this season and have been keeping a close eye on him because Emery believes the player can be a success in the Premier League.
That said, the Spain international’s release clause stands at €80million (£67million), which is a steep price for any club to pay, especially mid-season.
Villa are apparently undecided whether to meet Sancet’s release clause, though the B6 board is said to be working on various strategies to make this transfer happen.
Aston Villa are also among the clubs looking at Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel, who is also on the radar of Everton and Crystal Palace.
Who is Aston Villa and Manchester United target Oihan Sancet?
Sancet, who was born in Pamplona on 25 April 2000, joined Athletic Bilbao’s youth setup from Osasuna in 2015 and has risen through the ranks at the Basque club.
The 6ft 2in ace has made 169 appearances for Athletic, registering 30 goals and 15 assists, and has also won four caps for Spain, scoring once.
Sancer has four goals from 10 La Liga outings this term, plus one goal from two Europa League appearances in 2024/25.
Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig previously said Sancet is a ‘confident and skilful player with good technique, aggressive dribble, good reading of the game, very good off-the-ball movements and vision to make through passes to the teammates providing dynamism to the team's last offensive third plays.’
Kulig also compared Sancet to Liverpool cult hero and Netherlands international Georginio Wijnaldum.
Last year, Sancet renewed his Athletic contract for eight seasons, tying him to the club until the summer of 2032. According to Salarysport, he earns £27,000-a-week.
