Aston Villa are plotting an ambitious move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago as Emery looks to build one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attacking units.
- SportsBoom exclusively reveal Thiago has emerged as a leading Villa target ahead of the summer window
- The Brazilian scored 22 Premier League goals in 38 appearances for Brentford this season
- Villa made a last-minute January approach for Thiago, but could not provide sufficient funds at the time
- Brentford hold a strong contractual position, Thiago signed a new deal running until 2031 earlier this season
Emery identifies his target. A specific and ambitious pursuit
Aston Villa’s striker recruitment this summer has taken a significant and exciting new direction. According to SportsBoom, Igor Thiago has risen rapidly to the top of Emery’s shortlist, with the Villa manager a huge admirer of the Brazilian’s specific combination of pace, power and clinical finishing. Furthermore, Villa’s January interest, a last-minute approach that ultimately fell short on funds, confirms this pursuit has genuine history and genuine institutional conviction behind it.
Thiago’s 2025-26 Premier League season was nothing short of sensational. Twenty-two goals from 38 appearances for Brentford represented one of the division’s finest individual scoring returns, establishing the 24-year-old as one of England’s most feared and dangerous centre-forwards. Moreover, his impact came after an injury-hit debut season in west London following his £30m move from Club Brugge of making the turnaround in form all the more impressive and all the more convincing as evidence of genuine elite-level quality.
Consequently, interest from clubs across Europe has intensified throughout the summer. However, Villa’s specific and direct approach, backed by Emery’s personal admiration and a January contact that demonstrates real intent, gives them a foundation that most rival clubs cannot match.
The Watkins partnership: a different dimension
The tactical logic behind Thiago’s pursuit is equally compelling. Specifically, Emery and his coaching staff believe the Brazilian would bring qualities that complement Watkins rather than simply duplicate them. Watkins thrives on pace, movement, intelligent pressing and space in behind defensive lines. By contrast, Thiago delivers physicality, aerial dominance and a ruthless, penalty-area presence that gives opposing defences an entirely different set of problems to solve simultaneously.
Additionally, the historical parallel strengthens the case. Watkins himself made the journey from Brentford to Aston Villa in 2020 and subsequently developed into one of England’s leading forwards and a Europa League winner. That specific pathway from Brentford academy of excellence to Villa Park has already proven its value once. Nevertheless, Villa are not simply pursuing Thiago because of the Watkins connection. They are pursuing him because his 22-goal season confirms he has already made the developmental step that Watkins needed time to complete.
Furthermore, Thiago’s international trajectory adds an additional dimension to the pursuit. The Brazilian forward has established himself as one of the country’s most exciting attacking talents and his expected World Cup involvement this summer means Villa’s scouting team will have ample opportunity to assess his quality against the very highest levels of international opposition before any deal concludes.
Brentford’s position. Smart traders who always have a price
Brentford present a specific and significant contractual obstacle. Earlier this season, the Bees rewarded Thiago’s outstanding form with an improved long-term deal running until 2031. As a result, Brentford carry no financial pressure to sell and would demand a substantial fee before considering any departure for one of their most prized assets.
However, Brentford’s transfer market reputation also offers Villa genuine and specific encouragement. The west London club have consistently demonstrated a willingness to sell when their valuation is met regardless of a player’s importance to their squad. Ivan Toney departed for Al-Ahli after becoming a Brentford star. Yoane Wissa moved on as the latest high-profile exit. Meanwhile, Watkins’ own journey from Brentford to Villa Park in 2020 established the precise template Villa are now seeking to replicate.
Therefore, the question is not whether Brentford would sell. It is whether Villa meet their price. Given Thiago’s 22 Premier League goals, his age of 24, and his contract running until 2031, the fee Brentford demand will be substantial, likely north of £60m in the current market. Nevertheless, with potential Rogers sale funds and Champions League revenue incoming, Villa have both the motivation and the financial pathway to meet that valuation if the will exists.
The Brazilian’s journey. From Cruzeiro to Premier League sensation
Thiago’s trajectory to this point is equally remarkable. He began his career at Cruzeiro in Brazil before earning a move to Ludogorets in Bulgaria, where his prolific goalscoring form attracted the attention of Club Brugge. His performances in Belgium then persuaded Brentford to invest £30m in his services in 2024. Consequently, that faith has been rewarded in spectacular fashion: 22 Premier League goals confirming a player who has developed across multiple leagues and multiple countries into a genuinely world-class striker.
Additionally, that specific development football journey, from South America through Eastern Europe, Belgium and now the Premier League, reflects a player with the resilience, adaptability and technical foundation to sustain his output at the highest level. In particular, the fact that he overcame an injury-hit first Brentford season to deliver an outstanding second campaign suggests a mental character that Emery specifically values in his recruitment targets.
ReadAstonVilla Verdict
Twenty-two Premier League goals. A specific Emery endorsement. A proven Brentford-to-Villa pathway. The perfect Watkins complement. Igor Thiago represents exactly the kind of transformative striker acquisition that Champions League squads are built around. Brentford will not sell cheaply, but ultimately, the right price for the right player is always worth paying. Make it happen.
