Aston Villa are plotting a swoop to bring Sevilla star Yassine Bounou to the Premier League, according to reports.
Who is Yassine Bounou?
Bounou or 'Bono' is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, having permanently moved there back in 2020 following a successful loan spell from Girona, as per Transfermarkt, and despite not being Jose Luis Mendilibar’s official number one, he’s a regular feature of his first-team.
In La Liga last season, the 32-year-old started 26 out of the 38 games so was his largely manager’s first-choice between the sticks, but it’s not just his consistent and impressive performances for his club that have attracted interest, more so on the international stage.
Back at the 2022 World Cup, the Morrocan was one of the standout stars for his nation and he helped to guide them all the way to the semi-finals of the major tournament, most notably with his heroics in the decisive penalty shootout against Spain, where he saved two spot-kicks, and this form has grabbed the attention of Unai Emery in the Midlands.
Are Aston Villa signing Bounou?
According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Bounou “could end up” at Aston Villa this summer. Sevilla’s shot-stopper “has said no” to a “rich offer” from Saudi Arabia as there could be a “crossover” with his side’s former boss.
Emery himself would personally “like to sign” the goalkeeper as a potential successor for Emiliano Martinez, who won't be short of suitors should he leave, but how much it would cost to prise him away from his club or if he would be open to the switch yet remains to be seen.
Where would Bounou fit in under Emery?
Ever since Argentina were crowned World Cup winners last year, Martinez has been heavily linked with a departure to more high-profile clubs in the Premier League – including Manchester United and Chelsea – so Emery will need a replacement should he depart, and Bono could be the perfect successor.
Sevilla’s 6 foot 4 colossus, who pockets £49k-per-week, kept five clean sheets from 25 La Liga outings last season and made a total of 66 saves from 106 shots on target against, so he isn’t afraid to come out on the net and put his body on the line to clear the danger for his side.
He's also shone on the European stage, making “monster” saves, as dubbed by CBS reporter Ives Galarcep, on route to a Europa League winners medal, and that experience could be vital for Villa this season.
The Montreal native has an extremely strong range of passing having successfully completed 100% of his short-length dispatches and 97.7% of his medium-length attempts last season, so he clearly has an eye for picking out balls to his outfield players and attempting to start off moves from the back in the hope of creating chances.
Finally, Bono has not only previously been named the Goalkeeper of the Season but he will know exactly what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level having twice won the Europa League, so he could help to create the mentality needed to come out on top against more difficult opponents overseas.