Aston Villa have held talks to sign £50m star

Aston Villa have had to be smart in the transfer market in recent years because they have not had the PSR situation or standing within football to simply go out and sign the best players in the world.

They have had to identify young or underappreciated talent to build a squad capable of challenging at the top end of the Premier League under Unai Emery.

Morgan Rogers is a great example of what they have had to do. He was deemed not to be good enough for Manchester City and sold to Middlesbrough, and Villa then swooped in to sign him from Boro.

The 23-year-old star has now hit double figures for both goals and assists in each of the last two seasons in all competitions for the Villans, which has led to interest from Arsenal.

They are still yet to find a young talent as impressive as Jack Grealish, though, he came through as a teenager at Villa Park and was a superstar before his £100m move to Manchester City in 2021.

Aston Villa held talks to sign Premier League talent

It is not easy to sign players with Grealish’s talent, which is why they were so fortunate to have him come through their academy, but the club’s qualification for the Champions League means that they have a greater chance of doing so.

Now, the club are being linked with a move for a star who could arrive at Villa Park as their biggest talent since Grealish left around five years ago.

According to The Athletic, Aston Villa are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder Lucas Bergvall in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Villa and Chelsea have both made contact with Spurs to hold talks about a possible move for the Sweden international this year, but they were told at the time that he was not for sale.

Now, The Athletic states that the midfielder has told the Lilywhites that he would like to explore a move away from the club this summer, opening the door for an exit from North London.

TalkSPORT backs up this claim with a report of their own, stating that Villa, Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest are all pursuing a deal to sign the Swedish youngster, who was touted at a price of £50m in April.

Aston Villa’s biggest talent since Jack Grealish

The Villans could secure their biggest talent since they had Grealish on their books if they can beat Chelsea and Forest to the signing of Bergvall in the coming weeks.

Rogers is the biggest talent in the current squad, given his links to Arsenal, but the Sweden international has had significantly more success in his career than the English playmaker had at the same age.

Prior to turning 21, Rogers never played a game in the Premier League, had never been capped by England, and had only played on loan in League One and the Championship.

Bergvall, meanwhile, has already made 50 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs and he does not turn 21 until February next year, which speaks to how impressive his career has already been.

The 20-year-old talent has also won the Europa League, having done so with Spurs in 2024, and did so whilst being four years younger than Rogers was when he won it with Villa this year.

Bergvall, who has scored one Premier League goal in his career, has shown incredible potential by playing at such a high level at such a young age, and has drawn comparisons to some footballing legends.

The Athletic’s JJ Bull claimed that the Swedish star has a “first touch like (Luka) Modric“, a former Spurs star and one-time Ballon d’Or winner, which speaks to the quality that he has shown in the Premier League already.

Whilst potential is not always fulfilled, just look at Grealish after leaving Villa, the signing of Bergvall would be a statement of intent and show that the Villans can attract top-quality young players to the club now that they have Champions League football to offer.

Villa have not had such an exciting talent on their hands since Grealish came through the academy, and that is why they should fight hard to win the race for Bergvall’s signature this summer.