Aston Villa are one of four Premier League sides keen on signing Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson this summer, The Daily Mail report.
What’s the latest news on Nelson and Aston Villa?
Nelson, on £38,000-a-week with the Gunners, is entering the final few months of his current contract. The right-winger is valued at €7m by Transfermarkt and spent last season on loan in the Netherlands with Feyenoord. A permanent exit looks like it could be now on the cards, with talks over a contract extension yet to be agreed upon.
The Daily Mail shared an update regarding Nelson in the last 48 hours, saying that talks with Arsenal over a new deal are ongoing.
An agreement is yet to be reached, though, resulting in his future becoming up in the air, with Villa, Brighton, Fulham and West Ham all keen to take advantage over the coming months.
What has Nelson said about Emery previously?
Nelson has worked under Unai Emery before in north London, with the Englishman making just six appearances, contributing to three goals. However, the Spaniard clearly made an impact on the forward at the Emirates, with Nelson saying this about the manager back in 2019.
“He’s very positive. He’s always telling us to express yourself, but also he’s got that fiery bit where he would tell you if you’ve done something wrong. That’s good for a coach to have two sides.
“You can have the jokey side and have the fiery bit. For me especially, it helps me a lot to improve and keep going. He helps a lot of the young players as well. There was a lot of young players that came on the pre-season tour and he was telling them to be themselves, if they make a mistake, carry on. It helps them, helps them grow and gives them a great chance.”
Described as an “explosive” player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Nelson has found game time hard to come by under Mikel Arteta and is still awaiting his first Premier League start of the season.
However, he has shown his quality in the club's push for the title, playing a key role in the comeback win over AFC Bournemouth last month, registering an assist and scoring an injury-time winner.
In total, Nelson has contributed to five Premier League goals in 107 minutes during the current campaign, so he could prove to be a shrewd signing by Villa on a free transfer ahead of Emery's first full season in charge.
It may well be one to keep an eye on over the coming months, although Nelson could still yet to remain at the Emirates which would be a blow for Villa.
