Aston Villa have reportedly made contact with Udinese to discuss a possible deal for Gerard Deulofeu as Unai Emery eyes a reunion.
As reported by Sky Sports earlier this month, Emery has already revealed that he wants to bring in a winger at Villa to bolster his attacking options.
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While the likes of Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn have played out wide on the right side and impressed, the Villa boss evidently wants an option that provides genuine width with that pair having a natural tendency to drift inside.
With Emiliano Buendia and Philippe Coutinho also preferring to play in more central areas as more of a No.10, Leon Bailey is arguably the only real option that Emery has to provide him with what he wants currently.
In turn, signing a winger in January appears to be a priority, and according to Tuttomercatoweb, Deulofeu could be a solution for the Spanish tactician, having previously worked with him at Sevilla, as it’s reported that contact has been made with Udinese to discuss a move for the forward.
Deulofeu, 28, has gained plenty of experience having moved around for most of his career, but he has arguably found his best form and most consistent run at Udinese with 18 goals and 14 assists in 67 appearances for the Serie A outfit.
With his versatility and tactical flexibility to play across the frontline, either in a central role or on either flank, that could arguably be a major factor in why Emery might want to bring him in, and so time will tell if a deal can be agreed for him to return to the Premier League.
It’s added in the report that Deulofeu is open to a move, and so it remains to be seen if Emery gets his preferred target and continues to strengthen his squad this month.
Villa have already completed the signing of Alex Moreno from Real Betis, while it has been announced by the club that an agreement has been reached to sign Chicago Fire striker Jhon Duran.
In turn, Emery is certainly getting the backing of the club in the transfer market to bring in his own players, and it’s hoped that it will not only raise the level of quality in the group, but allow him to implement his ideas and style of play successfully with players better suited to what he is trying to build.
Deulofeu has the technical quality, pace, movement and ability in the final third to be a key part of that, and so it would certainly be an interesting addition if a deal is done.