Aston Villa will sign 'proper striker' if Johan Lange wins Arsenal transfer battle

Aston Villa have been linked with a transfer move for Genk goal machine Paul Onuachu

Aston Villa are the latest Premier League club to be linked with Genk goal-getter Paul Onuachu.

The 6ft 7in striker has attracted interest from numerous English clubs due to his incredible scoring record in Belgium, and Villa have reportedly joined the race to sign him.

Arsenal and West Ham have also been strongly linked with Onuachu, who has scored 43 goals in his last 50 Belgian Pro League appearances.

Before joining Genk in 2019, Onuachu spent seven years at Danish club FC Midtjylland learning his trade.

It was at Midtjylland where Villa's sporting director Johan Lange - previously of FC Copenhagen - became aware of the striker's talents.

“Now he’s a proven goalscorer, which he wasn’t when he played with us,” Midtjylland's sporting director Svend Graversen told i. “That was something that we worked hard on but maybe now we are seeing the effort because it took some time before he cracked the code.

"We would have liked to have unlocked his potential before. If he had scored more goals in the Danish Superliga we might have been paid a bit more!”

Finnish midfielder Tim Sparv captained Midtjylland whilst Onuachu was learning his trade and has followed the 27-year-old's career since his exit two years ago.

He's able to offer a unique insight into Onuachu's talents and what he would bring to Villa Park should the club decide to pursue a transfer.

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“It has been really fantastic to see his development and how he has taken on this challenge because it’s not always easy going away from Midtjylland,” Sparv said.

“It is a comfortable and safe environment for a young player. I think he’s adapted really well to Belgium where the demands are maybe a little bit tougher and it’s nice to see he has taken it in his stride.

“He wanted to get away from Denmark at some point and play in the bigger leagues, he was hungry for something bigger than FC Midtjylland.

"It maybe took him a bit of time to figure out what professional football is all about. When I see him play now he’s more mature, he’s stronger, he’s deadly in the box and has become a proper striker.

“I can definitely see Paul in one of the top five leagues, that’s for certain, I think he has that X-Factor.

"He’s tall, uses his body well, is fantastic in the air, great at attacking and defending set-pieces. I think he has something that a lot of Premier League clubs would look at and think this guy could thrive here and you can’t say that about everyone.”

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