Aston Villa have sent scouts to watch RC Lens defender Kevin Danso, according to 90min.
What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news involving Danso?
It looks set to be a busy summer at Villa Park ahead of Unai Emery’s first season in charge, with NSWE ready to back the manager with a “huge” spending spree.
There has been speculation this month that Villa are planning an ambitious double swoop for attackers Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres. However, defensive reinforcements also appear to be on the agenda, with rumours now linking the club with a move for Danso in the last 48 hours.
90min reporters Graeme Bailey and Jack Gallagher shared transfer updates on three Lens players on Tuesday evening, one of which was Danso. They stated that Aston Villa sent scouts to watch Lens’ 2-1 win over Marseille on Saturday, with Danso attracting particular interest from Villa officials.
Should Villa sign Danso?
Danso is primarily a centre-back who can also turn out at right-back or left-back and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €16m Transfermarkt valuation.
The 24-year-old has been labelled as “big” and “powerful” by Adam Leitch and has 13 senior caps for Austria. He even has previous Premier League experience following a loan spell with Southampton, making 10 appearances for the Saints back in 2019/20.
90min say how “Danso has been the main man in a defence which has conceded a Ligue 1 low of just 26 goals in 34 games”, and his recent display should have impressed Villa officials. As per SofaScore, Danso was the best-rated defender from either side, making five clearances, two tackles and blocking two shots. He even contributed going forward by registering a key pass, ending with a 78% pass completion rate.
This season, Danso has outperformed every Villa player when it comes to match rating and has averaged more passes than any Villa player, as per WhoScored, showing that he could be a shrewd signing by Villa due to his impressive form and versatility.
Villa have made their first move by scouting the player, so it’ll be interesting to see if they launch a bid for the defender over the coming months, making this one to watch.