Aston Villa join race to sign “strong” defender who pocketed Harry Kane

Turning their attention towards the summer transfer window, Aston Villa have now reportedly joined the race to sign an in-demand centre-back who recently kept Harry Kane quiet in the Champions League.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans gave the rest of the Premier League a preview of what they’re capable of in the transfer market back in January – welcoming both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan. Now, as the summer approaches, it looks as though those in the Midlands are keen to steal further headlines and splash the cash they gained from Jhon Duran’s big-money sale to Al-Nassr.

With that said, names such as Samu Aghehowa have already reportedly emerged as summer targets for Aston Villa as they look to hand Unai Emery the attacking depth that Duran provided.

Aghehowa would be a strong candidate to do exactly that too. The 20-year-old has enjoyed an excellent debut season at Porto after swapping Atletico Madrid for Portugal last summer. With 20 goals to his name in all competitions, the Spaniard would arguably even push Ollie Watkins all the way for a starting place in Emery’s strongest side.

It’s not just attacking targets that the Midlands club have set their sights on, however. According to The Boot Room, Aston Villa have now joined the race to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers alongside Everton, Crystal Palace and clubs in the MLS.

The central defender has enjoyed an excellent campaign at Celtic and particularly impressed against Bayern Munich, limiting Harry Kane to 0.17 expected goals and 0.01 expected assists whilst making 12 defensive actions.

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Whilst Alphonso Davies’ last-gasp dagger ensured that Bayern Munich escaped a night to forget, Celtic and Carter-Vickers’ performances were more than admirable on the night.

In that showing, the American proved that he has what it takes to step up to the top level outside of the Scottish Premiership, which could yet result in a Premier League return.

“Strong” Carter-Vickers could earn Premier League redemption

Since failing to make his mark as an academy graduate at Tottenham Hotspur, it’s been quite the journey for Carter-Vickers. After loan moves at Ipswich Town, Luton Town and Bournemouth, the American finally found his best form at Celtic and has not looked back since. Now, however, three years on from leaving North London on a permanent basis, he could earn Premier League redemption.

At 27 years old, the Celtic star is at the peak of his powers and earned plenty of praise for his performance against Bayern Munich recently, including from Euro Expert Alex Barker. The tactical analyst even went as far as claiming that Carter-Vickers “ticks everything you want in a centre-back” before dubbing him “strong” and “fast”.

So, as Aston Villa set their sights on a permanent top four place in the Premier League, signing a centre-back who’s proved exactly what he can do in the Champions League certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea.