Aston Villa closing in on the signing of former Chelsea forward, a good deal?

Bengaluru, Sep 15: If reports in England are to be believed, Aston Villa are set to sign forward Bertrand Traore from Lyon on a four-year contract after agreeing to a deal worth £17m plus £2m in add-ons. The 25-year-old Burkina Faso forward could be back in the Premier League after three years since departing Chelsea on a permanent basis and has everything it takes to finally succeed in the Premier League.

Chelsea's notorious strategy of loaning out their young players has seen several top talents leave the club and fulfil their potential elsewhere in such a fashion that the Blues have regretted their philosophy. Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah are possibly the three biggest examples of this. Apart from these three superstars, there have been several players who have also done well since leaving the Blues and Traore is certainly one of them.

The last season was quite a difficult one for Aston Villa following their promotion to the Premier League but they somehow managed to retain their Premier League status on the final day of the season.

However, the manager Dean Smith and the hierarchy know that without solid reinforcements, they might not be able to avert the danger this campaign and they are trying desperately to add more quality to their squad.

The Midlands club has broken the bank to bring Ollie Watkins from Championship side Brentford but they still lack the necessary quality upfront and Traore can provide them exactly that. He has played in the Premier League before and has also been a success in both Ligue 1 and Eredivisie. He also has Champions League and Europa League experience and was even included in the Europa League Squad of the season on 2016-17 when he was at Ajax on loan from Chelsea. His experience could prove to be a massive addition to the Aston Villa side.

Aston Villa are short of quality on the flanks as well as upfront. With the signing of Watkins, their striker issues might be solved but Traore would be a massive upgrade on any of the wingers the Villans have right now. He is strong, direct and can score goals as well as creating them and loves to operate from the right-hand side from where he can drift inside to his preferred left foot and create problems for the opposition.

Traore publicly criticized Chelsea for not offering their youngsters a chance and forced a move to Lyon in order to get regular first-team football and has certainly excellent at the French club. His hunger and determination to succeed in the Premier League could prove to vital for Aston Villa as they look to avoid relegation for the second successive season under Dean Smith.