Aston Villa Leapfrog Sunderland, West Ham and Nottingham Forest With £17M Bid for Winger

Aston Villa have accelerated their efforts to finalize the signing of Galatasaray winger Baris Alper Yilmaz, who is also a target for Sunderland, and have submitted a £17m offer.

According to Fotospor (h/t Sunderland Echo), the 25-year-old winger is also a transfer target for the Black Cats, as well as West Ham and Nottingham Forest.

However, it is Unai Emery's Villa who are the most active in pursuing the signing of the talented Turkish player.

Galatasaray would consider selling him for a fee between £26m and £35m, meaning Villa's current offer still falls short. However, the same outlet reports that they intend to improve their proposal.

Aston Villa leapfrog Sunderland, West Ham and Nottingham Forest with £17m bid for Baris Alper Yilmaz

"Aston Villa have stepped up their efforts to lure Galatasaray wide man Baris Alper Yilmaz to the Premier League this summer," reads a recent article from the Sunderland Echo.

"The Turkish international has emerged as an apparent target for Sunderland in recent days," they added in the aforementioned outlet.

Aside from the mentioned English clubs, Yilmaz is also of interest to Serie A side Atalanta and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, making the competition for the winger fierce.

Recent rumors also point to RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda (25) as an offensive transfer target for Sunderland.

But the Belgian is not the only name on the Lads' wishlist. According to TEAMTalk, Regis Le Bris' side, alongside Wolves, are the most interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Amine Adli (25).

Therefore, several forward names have been linked with Sunderland. And that’s normal, considering the transfer market is this competitive and complicated.

Surely, Le Bris' staff have multiple forwards on their target list - not because they plan to sign all of them, but because having alternatives is necessary.

We’ll see if, in the coming hours, days, or weeks, a more concrete update emerges regarding a potential attacking signing for the club.

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