Aston Villa are quickly becoming one of the most entertaining sides to watch in the Premier League under Unai Emery, with the Villans building on their good start to leave them one point adrift of the Champions League places. And, whilst it's still early days, the current campaign has so far shown that, on their day, Villa could cause plenty of shocks this season, both in the Europa Conference League and England's top flight.
Things could get even better in the January transfer window, too. Never has a move to Villa Park seemed like such an attractive prospect, which could see one exciting target welcomed to the Midlands club.
Aston Villa transfer news
Aston Villa proved just how much they've improved off the pitch during the summer transfer window, as they managed to bring in the likes of Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo, who have both got off to blistering starts in English football. It may now just be a case of Emery adding some finishing touches to his squad and avoiding any major exit – if Villa can keep the current squad together, then they could reach unprecedented heights in the Premier League, especially if they welcome extra stars on top of that.
The latest Nahuel Molina transfer news suggests that he could be one of the names coming in at Villa Park too. According to reports in Spain, the Midlands club are leading the race ahead of Manchester United to sign the Atletico Madrid full-back in January, whose current release clause is just €30m (£26m).
If Villa are to make their move, they'll need to get in fast if they want to match that lower release clause, with reports suggesting that Atletico Madrid want to renew Molina's contract, moving his exit clause to €90m (£78m) in the process.
Nahuel Molina is a "sublime" full-back
Starting in five of Atletico Madrid's nine La Liga games so far this season, after missing out on a start in the first two games through injury, Molina plays an important role under Diego Simeone, operating mainly as a right-back or right wing-back.
Molina's stats show that he could be the perfect back-up option or even competition for Matty Cash, too. Here's how he compares to both Cash and Lucas Digne so far this season, as per FBref.
Player
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Goals + Assists
Tackles Won
Nahuel Molina
9
16
3
4
Matty Cash
22
21
3
14
Lucas Digne
13
28
2
7
During his time in Spain, Molina has earned plenty of praise, including from Marca's Pascal Ruiz Arnal, who posted on X: "From Atlético to Celta 0-3, being a wonderful play, I look at Nahuel Molina. He puts the ball back to the perfect spot instead of hitting it inside the six-yard box. Those things show when a player is smart. Morata's thing, sublime."
With that said, when the January transfer window does open, Villa will be one to watch in the Premier League, as they decide whether or not to continue their pursuit of another World Cup winner in the form of Molina.