Aston Villa remain in the fight to secure a place in the Champions League for the 2025/26 campaign after their 1-0 win over Fulham last time out.
Youri Tielemans scored the only goal of the game to propel the Villans up to seventh in the Premier League, only three points behind Chelsea in fifth place.
Despite not yet knowing which European competition they will be competing in next season, Unai Emery and Monchi are already reportedly looking at players to bolster the squad, including one star from Scottish football.
Aston Villa eyeing raid on Scottish giants
According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are one of the clubs lining up a move to sign Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin in the summer transfer window.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The report claims that the Villans and Leeds United are both interested in a swoop for the Belgium international, and it reveals that Emery views him as a player who would fit in well as part of his high-pressing midfield set-up.
TEAMtalk, who previously claimed that the Gers value him at £20m, adds that Rangers do not want to cash in on the former Standard Liege star, though, and it could be a fight for Villa to land a deal for him.
Monchi must, now, stump up the £20m required to acquire Raskin’s services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign because he could come in as an upgrade on Boubacar Kamara in the middle of the park.
What Nicolas Raskin would bring to Aston Villa
As the TEAMtalk report outlines, the Belgian star would fit the high-pressing system put in place by Emery because he is an energetic midfield player who likes to get around the park in and out of possession.
Raskin is an all-action star who can contribute with goals and assists at the top end of the pitch, whilst also making tackles and interceptions on a regular basis to cut out opposition attacks.
The 24-year-old star, once dubbed “unbelievable” by Kris Boyd, has delivered consistently brilliant performances for Rangers in the Premiership this season, and could arrive at Villa as an even better option than Kamara.
Appearances
23
30
Goals
0
2
Assists
0
7
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.8
3.6
Dribbled past per game
1.1x
0.8x
Ground duel success rate
54%
58%
Aerial duel success rate
43%
57%
As you can see in the table above, Raskin has offered more to his team both in and out of possession than the Frenchman has for the Villans in the Premier League, albeit at a different level in Scotland.
The Belgian star did, however, average a staggering 5.0 tackles and interceptions and 7.4 ball recoveries per match across 12 appearances in the Europa League. This shows that he has the tenacity, the energy, and the defensive awareness to suit a high-pressing game.
Whereas, Kamara only averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions and 4.0 ball recoveries per match in four Conference League games last season, and 3.0 tackles and interceptions and 4.6 ball recoveries per game in ten Champions League outings this term.
This shows that Raskin has outperformed him, certainly from a defensive perspective, on the European stage, which suggests that he does have the quality to translate his form from Scottish football over to the Premier League.
Aston Villa can forget Asensio by unleashing their very own homegrown Nypan
Aston Villa could decide to move on from both Marco Asensio and Sverre Nypan by unleashing this homegrown gem.
ByKelan SarsonMay 8, 2025
Therefore, Monchi could land an even better midfielder than Kamara by splashing £20m on the Rangers star for Emery, because of his ability to make an impact in the final third whilst also being more effective out of possession to thwart opposition attacks.
