Aston Villa have announced the signing of Brazilian striker Wesley Moraes from Club Brugge for what is understood to be a club-record fee of £22m. The club confirmed on Thursday that they have reached an agreement with the Belgium side subject to a work permit and international clearance.
Wesley Moraes, 22, who scored 17 goals last season, also won the prestigious Golden Schoen – the award given to the best young player of the year in the Belgian Pro League.
The Villans have started building their squad for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
So far, they have signed Jota from Birmingham City, with Gary Gardner moving to the other direction as part of the swap deal and Anwar El Ghazi joining the club permanently from Lille following a solid loan spell. Moraes will become the third official signing since Villa secured promotion back to the Premier League.
Dean Smith’s side had signed quite a few players on a temporary basis last season all of them played a crucial role in their promotion success. One of them was Tammy Abraham—signed on loan from Chelsea.
The 21-year-old was one of the standout stars behind Villa’s promotion, scoring 26 goals and providing three assists in 40 games. However, it looks as though the young striker’s at Villa Park has come to an end.
And perhaps failure to sign Abraham permanently from Chelsea has led Smith to break the club’s transfer record on Wesley Moraes. But is Moraes worth the hype?
Absolutely! Moraes has established himself as one of the top young strikers in Belgium since his move from Slovakia with AS Trencin in 2016.
He has made a total of 117 appearances and scored 35 times in all competitions, helping Brugge win two league titles and two Belgian Super Cups. The Brazilian had his best season till date as he scored 17 goals and made 8 assists.
Standing at 6ft 3in, Moraes is a tall, powerful and pacey centre-forward, with good technical qualities and work-rate.
The Brazilian is excellent at link-up play and his movement in and around the box keeps the defenders always on their toes. He is a handful in the box for the defenders due to his brute and power, making him an asset from set-pieces.
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At 22-years-old, Moraes has the potential to become a great striker and he would undoubtedly be a major upgrade for the Villans up top.
It remains to be seen how quickly Moraes adapts to the Premier League and replaces Abraham at Villa Park. Regardless of that, the potential deal to sign him from Brugge is a major statement from Smith and Villa on their return to the top-flight.