Jonathan Rowe has been on fire for Bologna in 2026 and is now attracting interest from Aston Villa.
The Englishman came up with a spectacular overhead kick against Napoli at the weekend. The game was 2-2 in stoppage time but the winger’s strike saw the Rossoblu seal a massive win.
Now, he has three Serie A goals in 2026. In the Europa League, he found the net four times and racked up two assists, scoring a well-executed curler against Aston Villa.
This has seen English interest in the former Norwich City star rise. Sport Witness covered how scouts from the Premier League have kept a close eye on him in recent weeks.
His performances haven’t gone unnoticed at Villa Park either.
Rowe increasingly being talked about
Gazzetta dello Sport have a detailed report on the winger today, with the backdrop of his heroics in Naples. It is noted how he is increasingly being called ‘Roweldinho’ in Bologna, which is a sign of increasing excitement around him.
Clubs are now knocking on the door for him. The newspaper cite English sources to talk about Chelsea’s interest, as the English media is talking up a €38m offer from the Blues.
It doesn’t end there as Aston Villa are now also interested. These are seen as ‘real dangers’ for the Rossoblu, who find themselves eighth in the Serie A. There is a chance of them not playing in Europe next season, which can lead to Rowe’s summer sale.
If English clubs do make offers for him, Bologna might not stand much of a chance. They can attempt to convince him to stay for another season but that may not work out in the absence of European football.
Our take: Bologna looking to capitalise
Earlier in the season, Jonathan Rowe was struggling to settle into life in Italy, and also faced fitness problems.
Bologna paid around €20m to sign him last year. The low price was largely because of a fight he had with Adrien Rabiot at Marseille. Now, reports around him are playing a big role in raising his valuation to a much higher amount, taking advantage of the recent run of form.
Bologna have already sold Dan Ndoye, Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori to England. Jhon Lucumi moving to Sunderland is still being pushed in Italy, and Bologna clearly like sales to the Premier League.
This approach should give some encouragement to Aston Villa. The Rossoblu have a sell-to-buy model and Unai Emery’s side can take advantage of that and bring Rowe back to England.
