Aston Villa target Leipzig and Leicester stars as Emery eyes signing who can safeguard top-four challenge

As he attempts to bolster his forward line in the January transfer window, Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, reportedly has two attacking targets in mind.

With 17 games played, Villa is only one point behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League standings and is having an incredible season. Emery’s team has also advanced to the Europa Conference League knockout round.

But as the winter window draws near, they are not going to sit back and will instead want to get stronger, especially offensively.

Additionally, Villa is eager to add two players at the beginning of the new year, according to Football Insider.

Timo Werner, the front man for RB Leipzig, and Kelechi Iheanacho, the outstanding player for Leicester City, have both become bit pieces for their respective clubs and are being watched by Villar Park.

Werner, a 27-year-old international for Germany, is currently Leipzig’s benchwarmer and is unable to push his way back into the starting lineup.

Before returning to Germany in the summer of 2022, the former Chelsea player—who was viewed as a huge failure at Stamford Bridge—scored 23 goals in 89 appearances while playing in the Premier League.

Iheanacho, meanwhile, has a contract expiring at the end of this season and has made only sporadic appearances for Championship leaders Leicester in recent weeks.

Following Leicester’s Premier League relegation, the 27-year-old has made 20 appearances for the team this season, contributing two assists and six goals.

Despite his lack of Premier League experience, the Nigerian international is a capable backup should something happen to Ollie Watkins.

With just 24 games across all competitions, the England attacker has already scored 14 goals and added eight assists this season, setting a record for incredible form.

He has, however, been obliged to start every Premier League game thus far since Villa’s offensive options are limited, and Emery doesn’t appear to trust Jhon Duran to step up and fill that hole.

In fact, Football Insider continues, Villa intends to let Duran go in January, with a loan transfer being the most likely scenario.

According to reports, Emery has reportedly questioned the child’s attitude on several occasions and warned Duran to comply with his requests or suffer the repercussions.