Borussia Dortmund now want £25m player Aston Villa have bid for to replace Niclas Fullkrug - journalist

West Ham deciding to sign Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund could now throw a spanner in the works for Aston Villa.

The Hammers are close to signing the Germany international in a deal worth £27m as Julen Lopetegui aims to upgrade on Michail Antonio and Danny Ings – who only scored a combined total of eight goals last season.

Now – however – West Ham‘s signing of Niclas Fullkrug could now see Aston Villa miss out on a target…

Aston Villa could lose out on Maximilian Beier to Borussia Dortmund

Patrick Berger of Sky Germany has now revealed that Borussia Dortmund have chosen Maximilian Beier as their preferred replacement for Fullkrug.

The reliable journalist claims that the TSG Hoffenheim No.14 is viewed as a “dream” option by the UEFA Champions League finalists, and Nuri Sahin is even planning to play the Germany international alongside Serhou Guirassy in attack.

It comes after Florian Plettenburg – another journalist for Sky Germany – claimed that Aston Villa have made a €30m (£25.3m) bid for Beier.

Berger actually provides an update on that offer, writing that Aston Villa are still at the negotiating table and awaiting the outcome of this bid, with Chelsea and Juventus also interested.

However, Borussia Dortmund joining the race now seems like a genuine threat to Aston Villa and others hoping to sign the German, with Sahin’s side believed to be preparing a bid of their own as Fullkrug heads to West Ham.

Unai Emery may turn to a familiar face

If Borussia Dortmund do end up beating Aston Villa to Beier, Unai Emery could sign a player Villa Park knows well as an alternative option.

A story from Corriere dello Sport claims that Roma have decided to sell Tammy Abraham for a sum of just £21m this summer, with a separate Italian news outlet in Il Romanista stating that Aston Villa are frontrunners to sign the England international.

Aston Villa fans obviously know the Roma No.9 well, after he scored 25 goals in 37 Championship appearances during a stunning loan spell in the 2018/19 campaign.

Aston Villa are also said to have enquired about signing Crystal Palace No.14 Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer.

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Be sure to keep an eye on developments at Villa Park, as we expect the Villans to sign at least one new striker.