£34m sensation could be on his way to Aston Villa

All is not quite right at Aston Villa, even though Unai Emery‘s side are potentially two games away from lifting the Europa League title.

They also sit pretty in sixth place in the Premier League, and despite suffering successive top-flight defeats, need only to hold their nerve over the final three games of the season to secure passage into the Champions League for the second time in three years.

Emery has cut a miserable and frustrated figure at times over the past few weeks, though, and recent reports have put a spotlight on the Spanish coach’s future at the club.

Let’s hope that one irons itself out, but Emery’s not the only one covered by a cloud of speculation, with Morgan Rogers also attracting interest ahead of the end of the season.

The latest on Morgan Rogers’ Villa future

Described as “one of the world’s best” by pundit Jamie Redknapp, Rogers is a special attacking midfielder, but there’s no question about his downswing in performances of late ahead of a summer of inevitable uncertainty around his future.

Rogers has any number of suitors lining up, but the Villans aren’t going to let him leave on the cheap. Amid recent interest from Manchester United, it has been made known that Rogers has been valued at £90m, but the actual price tag could be even higher.

Replacing him will not be easy, but Aston Villa are going to give it a good go, with SiamolRoma revealing that AS Roma playmaker Matias Soule is on NSWE’s radar, with Bournemouth joining them in the race.

Soule could be available €40m (£34m) figure this summer, and if Aston Villa were to cash in on that Premier League tax and replace Rogers with the Serie A star, they could end up pulling off a blinder.

Why Soule is Villa’s perfect Rogers replacement

Soule has had something of an up-and-down career in Italy, joining Roma from Juventus after an excellent loan spell with Frosinone. Now, aged 23, he is ready to take the next step in his development, and Aston Villa could give him the keys to a productive new chapter.

Left-footed and exceptionally talented when carrying the ball forward, Soule carries a similar air to Rogers, though, with only six goals and five assists in Serie A this season, he will need to improve in front of goal if he is to match the Three Lions star’s output and intensity in the Premier League.

Most comfortable in an attacking midfield role akin to Rogers’ in Emery’s system, Soule’s pace also lends itself to wing play, while sporadic appearances up top has seen him score goals with consistency too.

Hailed for his “special” talent on the ball by journalist Zach Lowy, Soule is capable of the spectacular, but he’s also an innately hard-working and creative player, thus fitting a similar mould as Rogers.

Soule isn’t firing on as many cylinders as Villa’s attacker, but there’s no question that Villa could pull off a shrewd bit of business by replacing their star man with the young Argentine, who has actually been described as “the best talent in Serie A” by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson in the past.

Rogers isn’t perfect, and Soule could benefit, improving on a remarkable technical base, by joining an Aston Villa side who are intense and proven in developing natural talent.

Emery’s future is uncertain, and Rogers’ is too, but this is an outfit who have reached the top of the European game, and now they have the pull to bring over up-and-comers such as this one, and player who could still emerge as a superstar.