Aston Villa 'target transfer' for Liverpool forward with £47m fee mooted

Aston Villa 'target transfer' for Liverpool forward with £47m fee mooted

Aston Villa have been linked with a surprise move for Liverpool forward Diogo Jota come the end of the season and the beginning of the summer transfer window. Jota joined the Reds from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, after they'd lifted the Premier League title for the first time, for around £40m.

Jota, 28, has had his injury problems to contend with while at Anfield, but he has proceeded to score 65 goals for Liverpool and will be helping them to their second title of the Premier League era by the end of this season - they're currently 13 points ahead of Arsenal with only five matches left to play.

The Portuguese international has a contract which runs until 2027 on Merseyside, but there have been recent reports ahead of the summer window that Liverpool boss Arne Slot could look to shake up his forward line when he is afforded the opportunity.

Having signed up Mohamed Salah to a new contract, Slot also has compatriot Cody Gakpo on his books, but there have been links with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and now Jota, while Federico Chiesa has struggled to make an impact after he joined the club last year on a permanent basis from Juventus in his native Italy.

There have been suggestions that Jota could be available for £47m and that has alerted Villa, who will look to strengthen with a further recruitment drive this summer. Newcastle United have also been linked, with suggestions the striker could be used as a makeweight in an offer to the Magpies for Alexander Isak, as well as Jota's former club Wolves.

Slot recently dismissed the idea that he was actively looking to part with Jota, or Nunez: "I am happy with Diogo and I am happy with Darwin, but I always say in football there is no long term without the short term and I am fully focused on the short term.


“Since he and Darwin both have contracts for years, the last thing that is on my mind is these two. Of course, we are a bit focused on the other players [Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk]; me a bit, Richard [Hughes] probably a lot, but the ones who have a contract I am not focused on that at all.”

For Villa, of course, there is much uncertainty; they remain in a position where they are fighting to maintain their Champions League status before the end of the season, and in doing so they would have access to a higher level of transfer target. There remain decisions to be made over loan pair Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, too.

What is Villa's priority in the summer window? Tell us HERE
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