According to The Sun, Aston Villa have joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign Rangers’ 25-year-old midfielder Joe Aribo.
Aribo joined Rangers in 2019 and he’s been one of the key players in helping the Gers reach the Europa League final this season. He’s primarily a central midfielder but can play in a variety of positions and if things work out well, he could be playing in the Premier League next season.
The midfielder plies most of his trade in the middle of the pitch but during the course of this season, he’s played in the No 10 role and also as a winger on both the left as well as the right-hand side. He’s played 34 league games this campaign and has racked up eight goals along with five assists.
Joe Aribo has played under Steven Gerrard when he was managing Rangers so the current Villa manager knows very well how impactful Aribo can be and maybe this is the main reason why he wants him at Villa Park.
His style of play can very well complement John McGinn in midfield and this pairing will also allow Philippe Coutinho to play with a lot more freedom, in and around the final third.
Joe Aribo provided two assists in the Europa League yesterday after creating four (4!) big chances 👏🏽
Initiator 1⃣0⃣ pic.twitter.com/pdLFV42Kgc
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) April 15, 2022
The main issue for Gerrard will be the competition from Crystal Palace because Patrick Vieira is currently searching for a replacement for Conor Gallaher. The Chelsea loanee has had a wonderful season at Palace but will head back to Stamford Bridge in the next few weeks which is why the Eagles are targeting someone like Joe Aribo.
Rangers will be helpless if either of the two Premier League sides come calling and since his current deal will expire in 2023, the Gers won’t be able to charge a really high figure.
His current market value is 9 million pounds and if the SPFL side can get anywhere near this value they should be more than satisfied.
