Aston Villa may be rivalled by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the race for Czech midfielder Pavel Sulc's signature after watching him shine in Europe, according to TBR Football.
Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby's departures in the summer signalled huge losses at Villa Park, especially Luiz, who had been at the club for five years and a star throughout their Premier League journey from relegation battlers to Champions League qualifiers. However, the additions of Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and more stated Villa's intent to push on.
That has seen them look towards the future and their aspirations could reportedly be achieved with the signing of Sulc, who is one of Eastern Europe's leading talents.
Aston Villa 'Interested' in Pavel Sulc
The Czech star has burst onto the scene and that hasn't gone unnoticed
The report from TBR Football states that Villa are in the race to sign Viktoria Plzen midfielder Sulc to bolster their engine room ranks, with Jacob Ramsey being linked with a move away - though Tottenham and City are also lurking and could rival Villa for his signature.
The 23-year-old midfielder is one of the most 'sought-after talents' in Europe at present, and has been described as "one of the best players in the Czech Republic". Having scored 18 goals in 29 games for Plzen last season and having made his debut for his nation back in March, he scored his first two goals in a Nations League win over Ukraine in the previous international break, his stock has risen.
Europe's top clubs are now paying attention to his talents, and that has seen City, Tottenham and Villa all enter the race for his signature - but top continental presence in Napoli, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen are all also in the hat for his signature.
And manager Miroslav Koubek has admitted that they would sell for the right price to a club in Europe's top five leagues, stating in May:
“I’ve already said it once, in Plzen, departures are set up in such a way that they will only be dealt with in the case of an offer from the top five elite European leagues. And if someone like that comes, I’ll shake Pavel’s hand and congratulate him."
Sulc Will Have to Displace Stars to Earn Game Time
He will have to oust stars such as Emi Buendia
Villa already have a plethora of attacking midfielders in their ranks, and it may be that they have to sell some to afford Sulc coming to the club. Ross Barkley, John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia and Ramsey can all play in the hole and, so Villa aren't short of top quality Premier League options.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Sulc has 138 appearances in the Czech top-flight, registering 29 goals and 19 assists.
But with Ramsey being on Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United's radars, as GIVEMESPORT revealed on Wednesday, and McGinn sometimes being used in central midfield and on the left-hand side, that could open the door for Sulc to benefit from cameos and European football if and when the time allows.
Sulc is only 23, and with 37 goals in 189 games by the end of last season in his club career, he has the potential to go on and be a star for Unai Emery, who has a great track record of getting the best out of unsung players.