Aston Villa should forget about Mario Mandzukic [Opinion]

Dean Smith has previously spoken about the possibility of signing another striker when the winter transfer window opens as Wesley Moraes isn’t likely to recover from injury in January.

One player who Birmingham Live claimed could be on Aston Villa’s wish list is Mario Mandzukic, but the Midlands outfit should forget about signing him as they were rebuffed in their efforts previously.

In November, Villa held talks with the 34-year-old free agent over a potential deal but were rejected. Mandzukic was tipped to join Celta Vigo, but his move to the Estadio de Balaídos fell through, so he is still available as the January transfer window nears.

The Croatian international (89 caps, 33 goals) has led a nomadic and prolific career, playing for NK Zagreb (25 games, 11 goals, 1 assist), Dinamo Zagreb (112 games, 53 goals, 35 assists), Vfl Wolfsburg (60 games, 20 goals, 12 assists), Bayern Munich (88 games, 48 goals, 14 assists), Atletico Madrid (43 games, 20 goals, five assists), Juventus (162 games, 44 goals, 17 assists) and Al-Duhail SC (seven games, one goal). [Transfermarkt]

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Mandzukic has scored a total of 197 goals in 497 club career games, so he would be a great addition to the Villa squad based on that record.

It doesn’t look likely to happen, though, and as he has turned his nose up at the Villans before, maybe it’s best that Smith looks elsewhere for somebody more receptive to joining his cause.

In other news, Aston Villa look set to miss out on one transfer target.