“They need one more striker, I’d take him at Villa”- Aston Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor urges club to complete signing of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku this summer
Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has urged Unai Emery to sign Romelu Lukaku this summer.
The Chelsea ace spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Inter Milan, where he bagged 10 goals in 25 league appearances. Lukaku struggled with injury issues last season, but ended it with 12 goal involvements in his final eight league matches.
Villa are in the market to add another centre-forward to their squad this summer window after selling Danny Ings to West Ham for £15 million in January. And Agbonlahor thinks Belgium international Lukaku would be a perfect fit for Villa.
“They need one more striker, a similar striker to someone like Benteke, I’d love,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT. “I’d take Lukaku at Villa.
“He’d be a different sort of option. Ollie Watkins is outstanding but, can Ollie Watkins play Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday? No he can’t. He needs a bit of a rest, some rotation.”
Chelsea paid a club-record £97.5million fee to re-sign Lukaku from Inter Milan in 2021, some seven years after selling him to Everton, only to loan him back to the Serie A club less than a year later. He is due to have talks over his future at Stamford Bridge in the coming weeks.
Villa will be playing Europa Conference League football next season, if they overcome a two-legged play-off tie August. Emery wants to make several top additions to his squad this summer so Villa can compete on all four fronts; in the Premier League, in Europe and in the two domestic cup competitions.
