Aston Villa could be presented with an opportunity to offload one of their current first-team men in January in a potentially complicated deal at Villa Park, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
Aston Villa's January plans…
It has now long been established that Unai Emery's Aston Villa side have emerged as genuine contenders to qualify for the Champions League this term, with some suggesting that they could even go a step further and challenge for the Premier League title.
The Villans have adopted a high-octane style of football this campaign that has yielded consistency in the English top-flight; however, there is no doubt that their success will attract attention from elsewhere regarding their most important players.
According to Football Insider, both Arsenal and Manchester City are keen on Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz, with the former making him their number-one transfer target for 2024. Nevertheless, Emery's men will look to reject any approaches for the midfielder in January and are believed to value him at over the £100 million mark.
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Undoubtedly, the Villans will be keen to keep hold of the 25-year-old for their Champions League push; nevertheless, his suitors are both ready to add another body in the engine room and attention toward his situation doesn't look to be vanishing any time soon.
Regarding incomings, NSWE are reportedly believed to be willing to hand Emery funds to add two new attacking players to his squad in the January window, with RB Salzburg talent Oscar Gloukh lined up in a deal that could cost in the region of £40-50 million.
Movement could be constant once the market opens for activity mid-season and another first-team Aston Villa man may now be presented with an opportunity to play his football elsewhere.
AC Milan ask about Clement Lenglet
According to world-renowned journalist Romano, speaking in his Daily Briefing via CaughtOffside, AC Milan have approached Barcelona regarding Clement Lenglet's situation at Aston Villa as he continues to find openings for minutes hard to come by in the West Midlands.
Clement Lenglet's statistics – Europa Conference League (Sofascore)
Tackles per game
1.2
Clean sheets
1
Balls recovered per game
5.4
Ground duels won
2.6 (68%)
Average match rating
7/10
Explaining the situation in full, Romano stated: "Nothing is close to being signed regarding the future of Lenglet but I have reported that AC Milan have asked for information on the player, that’s it for the moment. The club wanted to be informed so let’s see what they decide to do. Of course, the deal would be made with Barcelona and not with Aston Villa, but it’s still early stages."
Labelled "very reliable" by Tottenham Hotspur expert John Wenham last year, France international Lenglet has featured five times in the Europa Conference League for his loan club; however, he is still yet to play a single minute of Premier League football (Lenglet statistics – Transfermarkt).
In light of his struggles for first-team football at Villa Park, it may prove to be out of NSWE's hands given that Romano has indicated that AC Milan will deal with his parent club directly rather than Aston Villa, leaving Lenglet in a position to possibly get his career back on track elsewhere.
