Back in December, we covered an article from Sport/Foot that explained how and why Aston Villa raided the Belgian market in the summer.
The man to thank was Evert Maeschalck, Björn Engels’ agent, who had been contacted by the club’s technical director, Jesús García Pitarch, and helped the Spaniard discover the leagues in Belgium.
Following that, the market was explored, and transfers for the aforementioned centre-back (who had since moved to Stade de Reims), Wesley and Marvelous Nakamba were arranged.
Unsurprisingly, once the Brazilian striker got injured and another forward was needed in January, it was the Jupiler Pro League that was once again targeted, as Mbwana Samatta was signed from KRC Genk.
With all that in mind, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Aston Villa are continuously keeping an eye on what is going on over in Belgium, as Walfoot explain the Premier League side had a scout present at KAA Gent’s Europa League fixture against AS Roma.
While many players could have been looked at, the one obvious target will have been Jonathan David, who has been on fire this season for the Belgians.
Scoring 23 goals and assisting another 10 in 38 appearances, the 20-year-old has caught the eye of pretty much all of Europe, just like Erling Haaland, but on a slightly smaller scale.
If Aston Villa are indeed interested in David, however, they will first need to avoid relegation back down to the Championship.
The player’s agent recently made it clear that a move to a club like Arsenal might be a bit too big for his client next season, leaving Aston Villa as a good middle ground destination for the 20-year-old, but he will likely want to play top-tier football if he is to come to England.
He recently admitted the Bundesliga might be a more suitable step, clearly impressed by what the aforementioned Norwegian is doing at Dortmund, and it will be up to the interested English clubs to convince him otherwise.
Aston Villa are currently 17th in the Premier League, one point ahead of the first member of the relegation zone, West Ham.
