Aston Villa was forced to return to reality after a boring 0-0 draw with Everton over the weekend, falling to third place in the Premier League rankings.
Unai Emery will be anxious to add at least another player or two to Villa Park in order to boost his club with less than two weeks remaining in the January transfer window.
Many names have been connected to a move to the Midlands, but the most intriguing connection may be an 18-year-old with promise.
Aston Villa is interested in signing the Champions League star.
Graeme Bailey (via Total Villa on X) reports that Villa is expressing interest in teenage FC Copenhagen prodigy Roony Bardghji this month in anticipation of a possible transfer.
Villa reportedly sent scouts to watch the young player recently, and it’s obvious that Emery was impressed by his performances enough to think about bringing him to the Premier League.
If a move is made, he might cost the team about £20 million. Although this seems expensive, if he plays up to his potential over the next few years, the cost might end up being a good deal.
Bardghji is also a target for Chelsea and Manchester United, so Emery will need to move quickly to get him to Villa Park.
How Jhon Duran and Roony Bardghji are comparable
Jhon Duran only joined Villa in January of last year, paying £18 million to leave Chicago Fire, and he appeared to be Ollie Watkins’ successor apparent.
For the Colombian sensation, things haven’t quite gone as planned at Villa, as he has only scored four goals in 35 games with the team.
Only seven of these 35 games have been starts, and Emery hasn’t used him in the Premier League starting lineup yet.
Duran’s Villa career may be coming to an end with the arrival of Bardghji, especially in light of how outstanding he has been this season.
The young player has already scored 11 goals in 30 games for Copenhagen, including a memorable Champions League goal against Manchester United that advanced the Danish team to the round of 16 at their expense.
His steady performances in the Danish first division have demonstrated that he is exceptionally mature for his age, even though this aim undoubtedly attracted the attention of a few teams.
The fact that Bardghji ranks second on the Copenhagen squad overall in terms of goals and assists (seven), third for successful dribbles per game (one), and second for goal frequency (a goal per 134 minutes) amply demonstrates how outstanding he has been in 2023–2024.
Perhaps sensing the Swede’s potential at such a young age, talent scout Jacek Kulig called him a “unreal talent” back in 2022, and it seems like there’s no limit to how brilliant he can go.
Though Watkins has been playing so well, Duran can consider himself unlucky as he has not had the most prolific of seasons.
But if Bardghji does sign with Villa, it might mean even fewer on-field opportunities for Duran because there will be a new adolescent sensation in town eager to take center stage.
