Aston Villa have now emerged as strong candidates to sign a “fantastic” forward, with sporting director Monchi said to be keen.

Villa keen on new winger despite signing Sancho

After a disappointing start to the Premier League season, with Unai Emery’s side failing to score a single goal in their opening three games, Jadon Sancho made a move to Villa Park on deadline day, arriving on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

However, both Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher aren’t convinced about the new Villa signing, with the former saying: “Unai Emery might be good for Sancho but I do think it’s a weird signing.

“Villa Park is a massive pitch and he’s got a lack of pace and a lack of legs. He’s got some brilliance but what’s his real strength? I don’t really know.”

Carragher added: “I don’t know what Sancho’s thing is. Every player has something but I can’t think in my head what he does. I’ve never seen it in my life. I haven’t.”

It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old is able to prove the doubters wrong, but Aston Villa have already set their sights on a different winger, with a report from Spain revealing they are now strong candidates to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt.

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Monchi is said to be personally keen on a move for Brandt, who could arrive at Villa Park on a free transfer next summer, if the winger doesn’t extend his contract with Dortmund, which expires in less than a year’s time.

Dortmund are set to try and negotiate a new deal with the winger, however, with the German club reluctant to lose him on a free, having been widely reportedly to have shelled out €25m (£22m) to sign the former Bayer Leverkusen man back in 2019.

"Fantastic" Brandt would be versatile option for Emery

The 29-year-old has featured in various positions throughout his career to date, including both wings, attacking midfield and central midfield, which would make the forward a versatile option for Emery, and he has received plaudits from Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Back in 2023, Kehl said: “His development has been great. He’s much more stable, robust and present. He has always shown in phases that he’s a fantastic player, but now he shows it over a longer period of time.”

The Bremen-born attacker has also outperformed Sancho across a number of key attacking metrics over the past year, ranking in the 97th percentile for assists per 90, when compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers.

As such, Brandt could be a solid signing, and his potential availability on a free transfer is a bonus for Villa, who are known to be treading a fine line from a PSR point of view.