‘Premier League tax’ – Aston Villa must pay ‘over the odds’ for ‘breakthrough’ Nottingham Forest star

Aston Villa are reportedly considering a move for Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson, but he could be an expensive signing.

Unai Emery has already brought in Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans this summer as he looks to build on an excellent opening campaign at Villa Park.

The manager guided Aston Villa to an impressive seventh-place finish. As a result, they will be playing European football for the first time since 2010.

A deal for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby is almost finalised. Now, Emery is eyeing a move for Johnson, who had an excellent 2022/23 season with Nottingham Forest.

The 22-year-old made 32 Premier League appearances for the Tricky Trees last term. In the process, he scored eight goals and made three assists.

Johnson remains very much a fan favourite at the City Ground. However, reports suggest that Nottingham Forest may need to sell him due to FFP concerns.

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Johnson eyed by ‘three or four’ PL clubs

Emery seems focused on bringing in at least two attackers this summer. As mentioned, Diaby’s move from Leverkusen to Villa Park is almost done.

This was confirmed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Thursday. On Twitter, he wrote: “Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa, here we go! French winger has just said yes to Villa, he wants to join Unai Emery’s project — PL football as priority.”

Reports suggest Villa have agreed a £51.9m fee for Diaby – a new club-record fee.

Aston Villa are now firmly in the race for Johnson. However, as mentioned, they may have to pay a sizeable fee to get a deal over the line

According to transfer journalist Dean Jones, several Premier League clubs want to sign the Forest star this summer.

“It’s obviously Premier League tax that sticks Johnson in that same bracket [as Diaby.]

“But at the same time, you’ve got a player that’s just had his first big breakthrough season.

“He’s done extremely well, he’s come on to the radar of three or four other Premier League clubs and as a result of that, you’re also going to be made to pay a bit over the odds.”

Nottingham Forest will reportedly demand a fee of at least £40m for Johnson this summer. As mentioned, he is a vital player for them but FFP concerns could force them into a sale.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Villa make a concrete offer for his services in the near future.

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