Report: Aston Villa eyeing ‘incredible’ £19m midfielder once likened to Xavi

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The latest reports suggest that Aston Villa are interested in signing midfielder Arthur Melo this summer as they look to strengthen their squad.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Aston Villa, as well as fellow Premier League side Newcastle want to sign the Brazilian.

The report goes on to say that Arthur is no longer a part of Juventus’ plans. At the moment Newcastle and Villa are only monitoring him, they are yet to make a bid yet for the player.

Both sides managed great achievements when they were able to qualify for Europe. This would have been a dream for Villa, who were battling relegation before Unai Emery came in.

Aston Villa want Arthur Melo

The ‘devastating‘ player has enjoyed a very decent career so far. At the age of 26, Arthur has managed to win five trophies and play for some top sides.

His potential was immense. Lionel Messi compared the Brazilian to Xavi, Andres Iniesta called him “exceptional”, and Thomas Vermaelen said he’s “incredible”.

The only issue is that fact that he had a horrid injury last campaign. Arthur was loaned out to Liverpool by Juventus but injuries plagued his season.

Due to his injury struggles, Arthur only featured in two senior matches in 2022/23, one being the Champions League and one being in the EFL Trophy with the U21’s who are allowed in the competition.

The 22-cap Brazilian obviously possesses great quality and would definitely add some great depth to the midfield, but he seems like a risky signing. His current salary, via Spotrac, is £110,000-a-week, this is close to £5.3million-a-year.

Admittedly, Arthur’s price tag is reportedly just £19million (TuttoJuve). However, his current salary is quite high.

Villa could most definitely find a player for cheaper who can strengthen their midfield. They need someone with a much-better injury record.