The £35m lethal striker Sunderland and Aston Villa are ready to go to war over in January transfer window

The summer transfer window may have seen spending records shattered, but quite a few Premier League teams found it tough going despite all the money being thrown around – including Aston Villa and Sunderland, even if the difficulties faced by the two sides were very different.

Villa’s squad was gutted in a damaging fire sale, with key attacking players Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins among those to leave. Sunderland managed to keep hold of their best assets, but struggled to add fresh firepower up front and only succeeded in signing winger Malick Fofana at the eleventh hour. Given that they weren’t at their best in the final third last season, one wonders whether it might be enough.

In short, it’s not surprising to see both sides linked with a striker currently making waves in Brazil – Athletico Paranaense’s Kevin Viveros. So who is the relatively little-known 26-year-old, why is he suddenly attracting attention from the Premier League, and will either Villa or Sunderland try to sign him when the January transfer window opens?

Why Sunderland & Aston Villa are being linked with Kevin Viveros

Sport Witness reported this week that both Sunderland and Aston Villa had made initial enquiries about Viveros over the summer – and notes that Saudi Arabian sides have also shown interest in securing his services as well. Ultimately, a move never took place, but the Colombian seems set to be the subject of continued scouting as the season unfolds.

The striker, who started his career as a winger with América de Cali in his home country, didn’t take the quickest path towards the top of the game. He’s already played for nine different sides and has spent time in both Venezuela and Bosnia & Herzegovina – it wasn’t until he moved back to Colombia with Atlético Nacional in 2024 that he really found his feet.

A rich vein of goalscoring form earned him a move to Athletico Paranaense last year and he’s gone from strength to strength since, scoring 17 goals in 25 games in the Brasileirão already – making him the leading scorer in Brazil’s top flight right now.

That form has attracted the attention of the Premier League, and with both Aston Villa and Sunderland among the teams who might need some extra goal threat as the season unfolds, it’s unsurprising that the pair are being linked with a bid.

Fast, direct and lethal against higher defensive lines, Viveros’ playing style isn’t too dissimilar to that of departed Villa forward Watkins. He lacks a certain amount of potency in the air and hasn’t got the physicality to act as a target man, but he can be hugely dangerous in the channels and has proven to be a predatory finisher.

Still, although Viveros may not have become a big name outside of South America just yet, signing him won’t be easy – and it could be difficult for either Sunderland or Villa to sign him this winter.

Will an English side sign Viveros in the January transfer window?

The first issue facing the Premier League pair in their pursuit of Viveros is that they will have to beat out interest from the Saudi Pro League to win the race – while the names of the interested parties from the Arabian peninsula aren’t mentioned in the reporting, multiple sources suggest that teams from the Middle East have been in touch.

ESPN Brasil even note that a bid worth around £20m was made over the summer and turned down, which leads to the second issue facing Sunderland and Aston Villa. The price isn’t coming down any time soon.

Athletico Paranaense are close to agreeing a new contract with the Colombian striker which will raise his asking price further – according to ESPN, they will now demand €30-40m (up to £35m) for Viveros, reflecting the new deal which will extend his stay beyond 2028, when his current contract expires.

The details of the new contract aren’t yet public and it’s reported that club and player have only reached a verbal agreement at this point, but the new deal will not only increase the striker’s valuation but also hint at the expectation that he stays put for another year, at least, unless a truly impressive bid comes in.

Should Viveros continue his current form, of course, that’s quite possible. Sides like Sunderland and Villa, who like pacy attackers who can get in behind defences and punish aggressive high lines, are likely to be in the market for a player of his profile over the winter – and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they come knocking once more come January.