Aston Villa will be able to bring in some new faces in the upcoming January transfer window
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Aston Villa are back in action on Thursday night in the Europa League against Young Boys. They won 2-1 away at Leeds United last time out in the league. Attacker Morgan Rogers scored twice against the Whites at Elland Road to help his side secure a useful victory.
The Midlands outfit have risen into the top four in the Premier League. They are in the Champions League places along with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Unai Emery’s side will be hoping to stay there come the end of the season.
Aston Villa eye River Plate prospect Lautaro Rivero
Aston Villa have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid in pursuit of £18 million-rated River Plate defender Lautaro Rivero, according to El Intransigente. The report adds that the player has spoken with Emi Martinez about a potential switch to Villa Park. He is under contract until 2028 meaning he still has three years left to run down.
Rivero, 22, could be seen by Emery as someone to boost his defensive department. He is still relatively young and has potential to get better in the future. As with any acquisition from South America, patience would be required if he joined whilst he settled into life in England.
The centre-back has been on the books of River Plate for his whole career to date. He has risen up through their academy ranks and was a regular for them at various different youth levels. The Buenos Aires-born man penned a new three-year deal in July which shows he is highly-rated in Argentina.
Rivero, who has made one cap for his country so far, broke into his current club’s first-team in 2024 and has since made 16 competitive appearances in all competitions. They could now face a battle to keep hold of him amid attention from Europe. He has also been loaned out in the past to Central Cordoba to get some experience under his belt as a youngster.
Would Lautaro Rivero be a good signing for Aston Villa?
Rivero would give Aston Villa another option to pick from at the back. If he joined, he would provide them with more competition and depth in their defensive department. He would battle it out with the likes of Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings for a place in their starting XI.
They would need to see off competition from elsewhere for his signature too with Tottenham and Real Madrid mentioned as potential suitors. It would be hard to turn down the latter especially if they came calling. However, they may not be able to guarantee him regular game time which is what he needs if he leaves River Plate.
It is yet to be known what direction Aston Villa will take in the January transfer window. They could do with some back-up in attack for Ollie Watkins. Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott are facing uncertain futures and could head back to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively due to a lack of minutes which would leave some vacancies to fill.