Aston Villa have edge over Liverpool in transfer battle as Newcastle ‘rule out’

Liverpool didn’t do any business before June 30, and now they may need to worry about new Premier League money again. Freed from the immediate limitations of PSR, cash-rich Newcastle and Aston Villa can now spend, and both have been linked with an apparent transfer target for the Reds.

Aston Villa, of course, boast an additional tie of Champions League football after doing very well to finish fourth last season. Newcastle won the same honor the previous campaign, but start 2024/25 without European football of any kind.

As for Liverpool, it is also back in the continent’s elite competition. Arne Slot will no doubt be looking to strengthen ahead of his first campaign, with suggestions he could look to add another striker.

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One of the names mentioned is Brajan Gruda, the young German striker who is excelling at Jurgen Klopp’s old club Mainz. The 20-year-old plays on the right wing and cuts more powerfully off his left foot, making him a stylistic matchup as Mohamed Salah’s understudy and heir apparent.

German outlet Sport Bild first credited Liverpool with an interest in Gruda, who scored four goals and assisted three in 30 Bundesliga appearances last season (albeit at a struggling Mainz side). But if the Reds are really keen on a deal, they may have to bounce back, with Aston Villa seemingly in pole position.

According to TeamTalk, Villa are now “best placed” to seal a deal for Gruda, despite “admiring looks” from Liverpool and Newcastle. Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen were also interested.

It is claimed Mainz could now try to hold out for $54m (£42m/€50m), more than double the valuation quoted in initial reports. But while Aston Villa are at the front of the queue, they still have no intention of paying such a large fee and will look to clear it.

Newcastle could be ruled out entirely, with Gruda thought to favor a move to a Champions League club. Liverpool could offer that, but with the youngster keen to be a regular starter, a move to Anfield may not prove the most appealing at this stage of his career.

Liverpool.com says: If Gruda weighs in where he’s most likely to start, it’s hard to hold him against him. He is certainly right that there would be no guarantees at Liverpool, where a certain Mr Salah would be ahead of him in the pecking order.

And unless Mainz drop significantly, it’s hard to imagine Liverpool being interested anyway. Gruda has shown flashes of real promise and has been rewarded with a place in Germany’s squad ahead of Euro 2024 (although he has yet to be capped at senior level), but it would be a huge step up to the top of the Premier League. League.