Aston Villa have joined Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in the race to sign Juventus misfit Weston McKennie. According to The Sun, we could have a potential transfer tug-of-war on our hands as the three Premier League sides are set to go head-to-head for the United States international.
McKennie initially joined Juventus on a season-long loan from Schalke 04 in summer 2020 before convincing the Binaconeri to buy him permanently in March. The Italians dashed out €18.5m to get the deal over the line following the midfielder’s decent performances under former manager Andrea Pirlo. However, the 23-year-old’s fate has taken a U-turn on the back of Massimiliano Allegri’s return to the dugout.
McKennie has reportedly failed to impress the new boss despite being handed plenty of first-team action to showcase his potential. Allegri has entrusted the versatile midfielder with four Serie A starts this season, but the player has nothing to show for it as of yet. Therefore, Juventus are considering the prospect of cutting the American loose already in January.
As per The Sun, Juventus have slapped a £25m price tag on McKennie’s head, though they could be willing to negotiate his loan exit come the winter transfer window. Yet, the same source insists such a scenario will only be possible as long as an obligation to buy is included.
West Ham and Tottenham are McKennie’s long-term admirers, but Aston Villa are now ready to spoil the party as the Clarets boss Dean Smith hopes to reinforce his midfield department. The Midlands outfit had a busy summer as Jack Grealish’s big-money move to Manchester City triggered a chain reaction at Villa Park.
Villa splashed out around £89.84m to capture the services of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings (via Transfermarkt). Meanwhile, Ashley Young returned to the club from Inter on a free transfer, while Axel Tuanzebe arrived from Manchester United on a year-long loan.
However, it looks like the Villans have no intention of stopping there. Since a raft of eye-catching reinforcements has so far been enough for a mediocre mid-table struggle, Villa will be looking to make further recruitments in January.
Luckily for them, West Ham boss David Moyes is operating on a tight budget. With the Hammers unlikely to pose a real threat to their pursuit of McKennie, Villa will probably have to outfox Tottenham, who are also in the running. Spurs have experienced a topsy-turvy start to the season and are keen to rectify their summer mistakes in January.