Aston Villa are close to agreeing a deal to sign Mbwana Samatta after productive talks with Genk over the Tanzania striker.
Negotiations with the Belgian champions are continuing, although it is understood that Villa have agreed to pay £8.5m to buy the 27-year-old. Dean Smith has been desperate to bolster his striking options after Wesley was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and with Villa having dropped into the relegation zone after last week’s heavy defeat by Manchester City.
Samatta, who would become the first Tanzanian player to move to the Premier League, has still to agree personal terms, although that is not believed to be a major stumbling block. He must also be granted a work permit, a process not necessarily straightforward with his country ranked 134th in the world by Fifa, meaning Villa must apply for special dispensation.
However Samatta should have a good chance of being granted a permit after finishing as the top scorer in Belgium last season and becoming the first east African to win the coveted Soulier d’Ébène award for the best African or African-origin player in the Belgian Pro League.
Even if Villa land Samatta, they are keen to bring in another striker and they have an interest in Islam Slimani, who is on loan at Monaco from Leicester but is open to a mid-season move. Slimani has scored seven times this season, including against Paris St-Germain last Sunday.
Samatta, who came to Belgium from TP Mazembe in 2016, scored in Genk’s Champions League defeat at Liverpool in November and had also been tracked by Brighton, Crystal Palace and Norwich in the January transfer window.
Villa face a race against time to ensure Samatta is available for Saturday’s trip to Brighton, and Smith admitted that with the 21-year-old back-up striker Keinan Davis sidelined time was of the essence.
“I’m calm and confident we will get players but we have big games and if we don’t get one in by Saturday it’ll be the third in a row without a recognised striker,” he said. “We have to make sure we do the best we can. There is a necessity there. With Wesley getting injured and Keinan being out we have to strengthen massively … January is even harder without recognised strikers as clubs can stick prices up a bit. It always has been a tough window … There’ll be a big boost to whole squad when we get one in and we’re working hard to do that.”
Villa’s only fit striker, Jonathan Kodjia, is set to leave before Saturday’s trip to Brighton. Qatari side Al Gharafa, who are managed by Slavisa Jokanovic, have announced the 30-year-old will undergo a medical on Friday.
