Football
Exclusive: Aston Villa Target Brentford Hotshot Igor Thiago in January Move
Aston Villa are eyeing a swoop for Brentford's top scorer Igor Thiago in January, but the Bees are determined to keep him. Thiago has been in top form this season, scoring 15 goals in 21 games. Villa are looking to strengthen their strike force for a strong finish to the season.
Brentford v Liverpool - Premier League by Catherine Ivill - AMA | Getty Images
Aston Villa are lining up a January transfer swoop for Brentford hotshot Igor Thiago, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
But our sources have learnt that the Bees will do everything in their power to keep the Premier League’s second highest scorer at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brazilian hitman Thiago has been nothing short of a revelation for the West London club this season, scoring 14 goals in 20 games to help the Bees fly high in seventh position in the top-flight.
And yesterday the 24-year-old bag a brilliant hat-trick as the Bees claimed a fine 4-2 away win over Everton to maintain their impressive form.
They are now unbeaten in their last four games and have won nine and drawn three of their 20 Premier League games so far this season.
In all, Thiago has netted 15 goals in 21 games in all competitions this season, hence the Bees’ reluctance to sell him.
However, Villa, who are flying high in second place in the standings and pushing hard for a Champions League place next season, are hungry to bolster their strike force as they look to finish the season with a flourish.
Villa have also sent scouts to the Africa Cup of Nations to monitor Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, but his January prospects have been thrown into doubt after he suffered an injury in their last fixture that is set to rule him out for the remainder of AFCON.
SPEARHEADING
England international Morgan Rogers has been spearheading their attack this season, with seven goals and four assists, while Ollie Watkins has also scored seven.
But Villa boss Unai Emery is understood to want to add further firepower to the club’s ranks as they continue to push Arsenal at the top of the table and, respectively, surprise many this season with their lofty position at just over the halfway stage of the domestic campaign.
Thiago has ambitions to play himself into Brazil’s World Cup squad next simmer despite having not won an international cap previously.
The Bees signed him for a club-record £30million from Club Bruges on a five-year deal in February 2024.
But with just 26 Premier League games under his belt, Villa are now trying to prize him away and tempt him with a move to the Midlands.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.