Journalist Ashley Preece has shared his insight regarding Aston Villa‘s reported interest in RB Leipzig midfielder, Konrad Laimer…
What’s the word?
In a Q and A for Birmingham Live, the Villa correspondent revealed that the Austria international looks to be on his way to Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich, this summer, with it seemingly unlikely that the 24-year-old will be linking up with Steven Gerrard and co.
Should Villa sign Laimer?
Yes
No
Asked about possible links to the 24-cap gem, the transfer insider stated: “As for Laimer, the latest I heard was that Bayern had agreed a deal. Be tough for Villa to come over the top but we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve got nothing concrete on that.”
This follows reports that the Midlands side were set to make a £17m bid for the Salzburg-born machine, with sporting director Johan Lange said to be on the hunt for a new midfield addition.
Gerrard gutted
Despite having already brought in young Boubacar Kamara from Marseille on a free transfer, it would appear that the Villa Park outfit are keen to bolster their midfield ranks even further, with a quality acquisition needed in order to provide further competition.
In Laimer, the club had seemingly identified an ideal fit who could add instant quality to Gerrard’s ranks, although the 42-year-old is now set to have to look elsewhere as the £25.2m-rated machine ebbs closer to a move to the Allianz Arena.
Missing out on the £49k-per-week ace will serve as something of a body blow such is his overwhelming talent, with the 5 foot 11 menace offering invaluable versatility with his ability to feature both in the centre of the pitch and on the flanks, with such flexibility a rare commodity.
The former Red Bull Salzburg man is arguably one of the most all-round assets in Europe, ranking in the top 12% for progressive carries, the top 14% for dribbles completed and the top 13% for touches in the attacking penalty area, as per FBref, as well as in the top 1% for pressures made and the top 17% for tackles made.
That impressive record in both offensive and defensive metrics illustrates just what a talent the relentless midfielder is, while the most recent Bundesliga campaign also saw him chip in with four goals and four assists in 26 league games.
Compared to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante by some, Laimer is seemingly a player who is only set to blossom even further in the coming years, with it perhaps unsurprising that Julian Nagelsmann’s side have come knocking to prise him from his current club.
Trying to compete with the German champions for his signature may be futile for the Villans, with Gerrard likely to have watched what could have been a major addition slip away.
AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez