Aston Villa must repeat Bailey trick and beat Liverpool to breakout star

Tom Weber

• Updated: 4 Mar 2024 18:43 GMT
• 5 min read

Aston Villa are one of Maximilian Beier's ideal next clubs, according to data experts SciSports.

The Hoffenheim starlet is enjoying a real breakout campaign in the Bundesliga. Highly rated from a young age, the versatile attacker went on a two-year loan to second-division Hannover 96 and impressed enough to be given a chance this term. He has grasped his opportunity with both hands.

In what is his first season of regular top-flight football, Beier has been nothing short of sensational, notching 12 goals and five assists in 23 games so far. This return is even more impressive when you take into account that the 21-year-old endured a real goalscoring drought at one point this term.

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Beier was already said to be under consideration by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann when the ex-Bayern coach first took over the national team last October and he is now a serious contender to make the squad for EURO 2024 on home soil. Back-to-back braces against Dortmund and Bremen have put Beier firmly in the spotlight again and speculation around his future is ramping up again.

Beier on the move in the summer?

Despite Brentford reportedly eyeing Beier as a potential replacement for Ivan Toney in January, the youngster decided against leaving Hoffenheim mid-season, instead making his desire to remain at least until the summer clear.

Besides the Bees, the club most prominently linked with the rapid attacker, who is devastating in transition, have been Liverpool. However, following the departure of German sporting director Jorg Schmadtke and with Jurgen Klopp also leaving in the summer, there are now major question marks over the Reds' interest.

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Due to a release clause in his deal, Beier will be available for around €30 million in the summer, with the clause reportedly decreasing by roughly €2.5m per season at Hoffenheim. With Liverpool out of the picture for now, we used SciSports' Career Advice tool to find Beier's ideal next club.

Career advice

Such is Beier's potential, that SciSports see Real Madrid as the youngster's best option, and this is not particularly surprising given the fact that Joselu is Los Blancos' only out-and-out striker this term. However, with the arrival of Kylian Mbappe only a matter of time, we can safely rule out a move to the Spanish capital.

As this is only Beier's first season of playing regular top-level football, SciSports are careful not to get too caught up in the hype. Using his current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €11.2m, next up on his list of suitable clubs are the likes of Stade Rennais and Real Betis.

If we change the value parameter to his €30m release clause, these clubs obviously fall by the wayside and are replaced by PSG and Man Utd. Intriguingly, however, Aston Villa rank well both times and this would arguably be Beier's perfect next step; it would be foolish to walk into the hornet's nest that is Old Trafford.

Perfect Watkins understudy

Villa have shown themselves willing to invest in Bundesliga talent with the signings of Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby in recent times. Moreover, Villa only have two recognised strikers at the club in Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran.

While Watkins would be well advised to remain at Villa Park, Duran could be on the way out in the summer. He was considered by Chelsea in January and interest in the Colombian will surely again be high in the upcoming window.

Beier would be an ideal understudy to Watkins, with Villa having a decent Club Fit rating of 78. With the Birmingham side potentially competing in the Champions League next term, the German would not only get more than enough game time, he would also see regular minutes at the highest possible level but without having to deal with the pressure that comes with playing for one of Europe's biggest clubs.