Aston Villa target Marcus Thuram and Matheus Cunha January transfers

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Aston Villa want to sign a marquee wide forward for Unai Emery in January as they prepare to back their newly-appointed head coach in the winter market with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram and Matheus Cunha of Atletico Madrid the main targets of interest.

Former Arsenal boss Emery is understood to have already held extensive talks with the Villa hierarchy over the club’s recruitment plan moving forward as the Spaniard looks to drive his underperforming side into the top half of the table.

The tactician has now reignited his interest in France international Thuram – son of Lillian – who could be available at a cut-price in January due to his expiring contract in 2023 having previously tracked the winger during his time at Villarreal.

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are also believed to be in the picture for the Les Bleus World Cup star and Thuram would understandably favour a move that would secure him the chance to play Champions League football on a regular basis.

However, Villa are prepared to make a play for his services and the 25-year-old will be free to speak with foreign clubs in January when he enters the final six months of his deal in Germany – sparking optimism an agreement can be struck.

Emery is also thought to be appreciative of his former Villarreal player Nicolas Jackson, who netted a 94th-minute winner in his final game in charge in eastern Spain against Almeria.

The 21-year-old Senegal international was part of Aliou Cisse’s 26-man Lions of Teranga squad for the Qatar World Cup after breaking into Villarreal’s first-team set-up last season under Emery.

Jackson’s contract contains a release clause thought to be worth in the region of £27million with other Premier League clubs also tracking his eye-catching performances in La Liga.

Villa are also one of several Premier League clubs in contention to land Atletico Madrid’s forward Cunha but they are now facing the prospect of being left behind by Midlands rivals Wolves, who are now close to agreeing a fee with Diego Simeone’s side for the Brazilian international.

Atletico are in desperate need of cash after exiting the Champions League in the group stages last month and offloading Cunha represents the perfect opportunity to raise quick funds to improve their misfiring squad.

Wolves, however, have quickly swooped in ahead of their transfer rivals after opening direct talks with Atletico Madrid for the 23-year-old attacker who arrived from Hertha Berlin for around £22m in the summer of 2021.

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Cunha was discussed internally by Manchester United as recently as last summer and is yet to find the net in 11 La Liga outings for Atletico this season after struggling to nail down a starting berth in Simeone’s XI.

Molineux chiefs are now believed to be closing in on an agreement with the La Liga side to make Cunha the first signing of the Julen Lopetegui era.

Formal discussions over a fee are ongoing and Wolves have also expressed interest in 33-year-old Atletico centre-back Felipe during the negotiations.

The Black Country club, who are cemented to the foot of the Premier League table, are hopeful of agreeing a double January deal for the Atletico Madrid duo in a desperate bid to avoid a relegation scrap in the second half of the campaign.

Wolves have also shown interest in 28-year-old Osasuna centre-back David Garcia – a player Lopetegui previously tried to sign during his time in charge of Sevilla.

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