West Ham United are being linked with a “Messi-esque” player who Aston Villa have reportedly approached this summer.
The Hammers and the Villans are both expected to bolster their ranks over the coming weeks ahead of a big 2024/25 campaign for both teams.
West Ham will be eager to give new boss Julen Lopetegui what he needs to ensure the club can bounce back after an underwhelming season in which they failed to qualify for Europe.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa finished in the Premier League top four to secure a Champions League spot, and they’ll need to strengthen to ensure they can handle the extra workload.
Both the Hammers and the Villans are now being linked with Juventus attacker Matias Soule, who was a revelation on loan at Frosinone last season.
In May, Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb reported that Villa had made an approach for the £27million-rated Argentine talent.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has reported that West Ham are showing considerable interest in Soule ahead of the window opening this week.
“Understand West Ham are among clubs showing concrete interest in Matias Soule,” Romano wrote on X.
“Argentine winger could leave Juventus an case of important proposal this summer, all options are still open.”
Who is West Ham and Aston Villa target Matias Soule?
Soule is versatile 21-year-old forward who featured on the right wing, as a second striker and as a No. 10 last season.
The Argentine left-footer impressed on loan at Frosinone last term, bagging 11 goals and three assists from 32 Serie A outings.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout previously said the reported West Ham and Villa target is a ‘Messi-esque’ talent who ‘can really produce magic’.
Meanwhile, former Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri is quoted by Tuttomercatoweb as saying: “When you have champions like Soule who shoot like Maradona or Zico, you just have to applaud him.”
With Juve seemingly open to moving Soule on, there will no doubt be a lot more speculation linking him with a Premier League move over the coming weeks.
Let’s see whether West Ham, Aston Villa or any other suitors will put in a bid before the window shuts.