Aston Villa: £30m deal could 'pave way' for 203-goal star to move to Villa Park

Aston Villa should consider a move for PSG striker Mauro Icardi, according to Midlands journalist Josh Holland.

The reigning French champions have an array of attacking world class forwards at their disposal, although Holland believes the recent arrival of €35m (£30m) Hugo Ekitike could allow the Argentine to move on.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Icardi has been placed on a long list of players who are up for sale at the Parc des Princes this summer.

The 29-year-old is a proven top level goalscorer, netting 203 times across spells with Sampdoria, Inter Milan, and PSG.

But the arrival of Lionel Messi from Barcelona last summer reduced Icardi to nothing more than a bit-part player last season. He started just 10 games in Ligue 1 and was on the pitch for just 47 minutes in the Champions League, with the last of his five goals coming before Christmas.

As a result, with just two years left on his contract, Icardi could be moved on, and Holland reckons that he could become a option for Steven Gerrard, who wants another striker signed before September’s deadline.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m thinking now PSG have signed Ekitike, that could maybe pave the way for Icardi, who’s obviously been linked with a move away.”

Icardi has done little of note since signing permanently for PSG in 2020, with just 18 goals across the last two seasons, which is fewer than both Danny Ings (20) and Ollie Watkins (27).

But a fit and firing Icardi is an extremely dangerous one. Across the best-part of a decade, the Argentina international has proven himself as one of the most lethal marksmen in European football.

Along the way to racking up 203 club career strikes, he’s scored 20 or more league goals on three occasions, all of which came in a