Report: PL rival set £60m asking price for ‘fantastic’ eight-goal star Aston Villa now really want

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Aston Villa will have to pay £60 million if they want to sign Brennan Johnson this summer, with Nottingham Forest keen to put his admirers off a move.

That is according to a report from The Sun on Sunday (25/6; page 61), which suggests that the Villans are battling Brentford for the Wales international.

Brennan Johnson enjoyed a superb first year in the Premier League with Steve Cooper’s side. The 22-year-old scored eight goals as Forest ensured that they will remain at English football’s top table next year.

Nottingham Forest want £60m for Aston Villa target Brennan Johnson

Unsurprisingly, he is attracting interest. According to The Sun on Sunday (25/6; page 61), Brentford have made a big bid for the youngster, while Aston Villa are also very interested.

However, Nottingham Forest are hoping to scare his admirers off. The report claims that Forest want £60 million for Johnson.

It would be a major surprise if either Brentford or Villa were prepared to go near Forest’s valuation. Villa do have the means to spend big in this window.

However, Johnson is not yet the finished article. So while he definitely has the potential to be worth that sort of figure in the future, Unai Emery may perhaps feel that it is too soon to take a massive bite out of his budget.

Villa will be back in Europe next year. So they will be looking to strengthen in a number of positions. They will also be aware that several of the division’s heavyweights will want to make vast improvements on last season.

So spending £60 million on Johnson may not make a lot of sense to the Villans this time around. But he is a ‘fantastic‘ talent. So perhaps it would not be a surprise if Forest’s resolve to keep him was still put to the test before the deadline.