Chelsea are on the hunt for a new striker but fresh reports suggest that Aston Villa could hijack their move for a talented Bundesliga star.
As we have consistently reported, Enzo Maresca is keen to bring in more competition for Nicolas Jackson and has several targets on his shortlist.
One player who has been heavily linked with the Blues is Hoffenheim centre-forward Maximilian Beier, who’s been earning rave reviews recently.
Beier made 33 Bundesliga appearances for Hoffenheim this term and scored an impressive 16 goals, as well as making three assists.
The 21-year-old’s excellent form has earned him a spot in Germany’s Euro 2024 squad and played 25 minutes against Switzerland on Sunday.
Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked with the forward but Chelsea have shown more concrete interest in him in recent days.
This comes after they’ve missed out on multiple striker targets, including big names such as Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko and Serhou Guirassy.
Beier fits into Chelsea’s philosophy of signing young players with high potential but Aston Villa are doing all they can to beat the Blues to his signature.
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Aston Villa to rival Chelsea for striker signing
According to German transfer expert Christian Falk, Aston Villa are ready to ‘fight’ Chelsea for Beier this summer.
Unai Emery views Ollie Watkins as a vital member of his squad but wants more options in the striker position alongside the England international.
The Premier League rivals have both ‘collected information’ on Beier in recent days and they’ve been tempted by his release clause.
It’s claimed that Beier can be signed for just €30m (approx. £25.3m) this summer which is a major bargain for a young player with his potential.
The forward added fuel to the rumours in a recent interview, too, saying “we can chat after the Euros” with regards to his future.
It will be interesting to see whether Chelsea or Aston Villa make a concrete bid for Beier and if they are willing to match his release clause.
Both clubs are being cautious with their spending due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and whether they can splash out £25m before submitting their accounts on June 30th remains to be seen.
Chelsea and Aston Villa will have to move quickly to get a deal done, though, with clubs from around Europe also interested in Beier.
