Aston Villa Looks to Sign Replacement for Watkins Worth £45 Million

Aston Villa is looking to sign Romulo from RB Leipzig as they consider options for replacing Ollie Watkins.

Watkins has had a challenging season, managing only eight goals in the Premier League.

Unai Emery’s team brought in Tammy Abraham for competition and coverage in January and is now planning to add another forward, especially since Watkins’s departure is a possibility.

Journalist Sebastien Vidal reports that Romulo Cardoso is being considered by the club’s recruitment team after a strong first season with Leipzig.

At 24, he has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 19 Bundesliga matches, following his transfer from Turkish club Göztepe for about €25 million last summer.

Leipzig is not in a rush to sell him due to his long-term contract and is expected to ask for around £45 million.

The potential transfer depends on Villa’s ability to generate funds through player sales this summer. The club has reported a pre-tax loss of £82 million (€94 million) to UEFA for the 2024-25 season.

This marks the third consecutive year of losses for Villa, totaling nearly £290 million over the past three years.