ASTON VILLA are stepping up their hunt for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa – as they look unlikely to trigger Marcus Rashford’s £40million buy-out option.
Villa sent a scout to Portugal on Friday for another look at Aghehowa, who scored twice in a 3-1 win over Moreirense.
Porto’s Samu Aghehowa is on the Prem radar once moreAlamy
ReutersLoanee Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins are Villa’s main frontmen[/caption]
The Spain Under-21 international put Porto ahead in the second half with a coolly-taken penalty before taking his season’s tally to 24 goals with a tidy near-post finish to seal the points.
Villa have been watching Aghehowa – formerly known as Samu Omorodion – since he joined Porto from Atletico Madrid last summer.
The 20-year-old announced last November 2024 he wanted to be known by his maternal surname Aghehowa to honour his mother.
Aghehowa was set to sign for Chelsea last summer after the Blues agreed a fee of around £35m.
But the deal broke down in the final stages and Porto pounced with an offer of £12.5m for 50% of the player.
Now Atletico are ready to cash in on their half-share this summer after seeing his value double during his short time in Portugal.
Unlike Villa, Porto can no longer qualify for next season’s Champions League as the gap to the top two is too large and they may struggle to resist offers in excess of £50m for Aghehowa.
Boss Unai Emery is keeping his options open over the number nine role at Villa Park for next season.
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Ollie Watkins will turn 30 in December and the overall cost of making loan star Rashford‘s transfer permanent appears a major obstacle.
Villa currently pay a fraction of the Manchester United’s star’s wages and it would take an overall outlay of over £100m to afford the transfer fee and salary for a three-year deal.
The total package for Aghehowa would involve a higher up-front fee, but Villa could spread the cost over the length of the Spaniard’s contract.
And the 20-year-old’s potential resale value would mean they are unlikely to lose out in the medium term.
Rashford damaged his hamstring in training last week and looks likely to miss the rest of the season.
Villa would be unable to field him if he recovers in time for their final Premier League game – against his parent club at Old Trafford on May 25.
Ex-Atletico ace Aghehowa has hit 24 goals for Porto this seasonGetty Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
