Aston Villa are set to have a very busy summer following their qualification to the Champions League.
Despite the incredible achievement of a top four finish and a spot in Europe’s elite club competition, Aston Villa are still expected to have to make one or two first-team sales this summer.
That is because Villa are at risk of breaching both the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Even with the injection of money associated with Champions League qualification, manager Unai Emery and president of football operations Monchi are going to have to be very astute with their business as they aim to get the squad ready for next season.
With that in mind, they could capitalise on Chelsea’s interest in striker Jhon Duran to sign an upgrade who is a target for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Aston Villa should sell Jhon Duran and reinvest in Bundesliga striker
Duran only joined the Villa Park club in January 2023, signing for £18 million from MLS side Chicago Fire.
He has bags of potential, as evidenced by his recent brace against Liverpool, but is raw and seems to be angling for a move to Chelsea.
The London club did try and sign the 20-year-old in January, which was a move that came somewhat out of the blue considering Duran had not made a huge impact since arriving in England.
Now, with Champions League football and potential unrest due to talk from the striker’s agent, Villa may be considering moving the Colombian on to raise funds for a striker the same age who has a significantly better goal record.
That player is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, the Hungarian who scored 14 goals and provided two assists in the Bundesliga this season according to Transfermarkt.
Benjamin Sesko compared to Erling Haaland
Whilst Duran looks a player who could develop into a top striker, if anything were to happen to Ollie Watkins next season Villa would perhaps not be too confident in the youngster’s ability to fill his shoes.
Sesko, however, has more than enough quality to step up to the plate and has 20 Champions League appearances to his name; although, admittedly he has only scored twice in the competition.
His performances in the German top flight coupled with his obvious potential mean that, if Villa were to target Sesko, they would be met with stiff competition.
However, they could offer the youngster the natural next step in his career without the glaring spotlight of a move to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Speaking on Sesko, Bundesliga expert Christian Falk said: “Benjamin Sesko is the hottest Bundesliga stock in England at the moment. Arsenal FC and Manchester United are particularly interested in the striker.”
Given they both started their careers at RB Salzburg, there are obvious comparisons between Sesko and Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland, but Falk insists Sesko is stronger than the giant Norwegian, saying:
“In Leipzig they say: Sesko is physically even stronger than Erling Haaland (Manchester City). Both strikers were trained at Red Bull Salzburg. Like Haaland, Sesko also demanded an exit clause for a move to the Bundesliga.”
Whilst Sesko would not be cheap, selling Duran could free up some funds to secure a striker who could help elevate the Villa attack and offer something different to Watkins.
It will be another tough campaign and Villa will need both the quality and depth to deal with the pressure of European football.
In Sesko they would have a player with enormous quality who is only going to get better, so it is a move that would make sense if they could pull it off.
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