Aston Villa have won the race to sign an in-demand teenager, with a transfer already completed as we kick off the summer window.

Aston Villa transfer rumours

It looks set to be a busy few months for Villa, NSWE and Monchi ahead of the 2024/25 season which includes Champions League football for Unai Emery and his side.

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The Villans are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in a deal for the attacker.

Right now, there has been plenty of focus on outgoings, with the futures of Douglas Luiz and Jhon Duran up in the air. The Brazilian midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus, whereas Colombian forward Duran is attracting interest from Chelsea.

Villa also seem to be willing to cash in on centre-back Diego Carlos, with a marque arrival yet to materialise. That doesn’t mean Villa aren’t working hard behind the scenes, with a number of senior names mooted to be of interest to the Midlands club.

For example, recent reports have suggested that Villa have been in contact over a move to sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, whereas former loanee Ross Barkley appears to be on course to become the first official first-team arrival of the window, joining on a permanent deal this time around.

We say first-team as Villa have already added to their academy ranks, beating a number of clubs to a teenage defender.

Aston Villa sign teenage defender ahead of Chelsea

Aston Villa have won the race to sign Ethan Amundsen-Day, a Norwegian youth international defender. The 19-year-old has agreed a move to Villa Park after leaving FC Copenhagen, where his contract was expiring.

Premier League rivals Brentford Chelsea, Everton and Wolves were also keen on Amundsen-Day, as were La Liga side Sevilla, Ligue 1 outfit Lens and Italian clubs Atalanta and Monza, according to TBR.

To start with, Amundsen-Day will join Villa’s academy setup, looking to progress into the first-team picture. A move has now been officially announced by Villa, with academy boss Mark Harrison saying:

“We are delighted that Ethan is joining us. He is a player who has a great mentality and is technically very efficient. He will add more depth to our squads in preparation for the different competitions we will compete in at Under-21 level and we look forward to working with him over the next few seasons.”

Interestingly, as per The Birmingham World, Amundsen-Day has followed a similar path to Manchester City star Erling Haaland due to the fact they were both born in Leeds but grew up in Norway, and are now on the books of Champions League clubs in England - Villa will be hoping their new defender can also go on and become a superstar in years to come.