Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could look to the South American goldmine of wonderkid talents to further bolster his squad once again this summer, according to reports – with the Villans bidding to beat Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United to the signing of Boca Juniors man Kevin Zenon.
Zenon, 23, made his name at Argentine side Union Santa Fe over the past three seasons with 115 games for the Tatengue, before making the switch to Boca earlier this year. However, with reports having previously touted Tottenham and Newcastle for his services, neither side has been seriously stepping up their interest, which could have put Villa at the front of the queue for the ‘gifted’ star, according to journalist Jonathan Riniti.
Villa Have Been Following Zenon ‘Since Summer’
The midfielder impressed in the Olympics
The report from El Crack Deportivo’s Riniti, via Sport Witness, states that Villa are ‘eyeing’ a move to Boca Juniors star Zenon – and that the player is already prepared to leave the Argentine giants for the West Midlands.
Kevin Zenon’s Liga Profesional statistics – Union squad ranking, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats | Output | Squad rank |
Appearances | 21 | =8th |
Goals | 2 | =4th |
Key Passes Per Game | 1.1 | 3rd |
Shots Per Game | 1 | =7th |
Dribbles Per Game | 1.1 | 7th |
Match rating | 6.65 | 14th |
Riniti insists that a January move is on the cards, and as one of the ‘rising stars’ currently in the Boca team having made his debut three years ago, he appears ready for a move to Europe. Speaking on Monday, Riniti said:
“Aston Villa wants Zenon. They have been following him since before the Olympic Games, so they are considering presenting an offer to get him out of Boca and make him a teammate of Dibu [Emiliano] Martínez.
“Boca knows that the player is already considering leaving the club, despite the fact that the directors were told the opposite. The rejected offer of $18m [£13.8million] from Germany marks the floor that the club wants to get rid of the former Unión player.”
The report further states that despite the player having a $15million [£11.5million] release clause, the club would need to pay $20million [£15.3million) to land his services.
Villa have a bunch of South American stars at the club – and with some being experienced alongside a few being of younger age, it’s clearly an area that Emery is targeting. Diego Carlos, Emiliano Buendia and Emi Martinez are seen as senior figures at the club, but Jhon Duran, Yeimar Mosquera and Enzo Barrenechea are all on the books at the club as young players – and Zenon could very well add to that.
Alongside other young signings over the summer, including Lewis Dobbin, Samuel Ising-Junior, Morgan Rogers and Ian Maatsen, Villa are evidently preparing for the future and it marks exciting times at Villa Park.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 30-10-24.