Aston Villa have reportedly made an enquiry for Real Betis ace Luiz Henrique, but they haven’t yet made a bid to the La Liga side for the Brazilian.
The 22-year-old has made a positive start to life in Spain with three goals and five assists in 24 appearances so far this season, following on from his move from Fluminense last summer.
READ MORE: Who is Luiz Henrique? Analysis of touted Villa transfer target
With physicality, power, pace, flair and technical quality, Henrique has emerged as a top talent but with a lot of room for improvement still, and it appears as though he has attracted interest from Villa boss Unai Emery.
According to the Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse, Villa have made an enquiry for the Brazilian, but we have yet to lodge an official offer to try and prise him away from Betis.
Further, it’s added that he’s valued at a minimum of €50m, and so that will raise question marks over whether or not Villa are willing to make such a huge offer, which would make Henrique the club’s most expensive signing.
Having already done business with Betis this month to sign Alex Moreno, the relationship between the two clubs could be strong and may well help in negotiations over this touted move. That said, looking at it from a different angle, it’s unclear if Betis would be willing to sell another key player this month and continue to weaken their squad.
From a Villa perspective, Henrique would add another important option for Emery to give him a winger that he has conceded he wants to add, with the Brazilian capable of adding width on the right flank to offer a balance and new dynamic to our attacking play.
If Emery is confident in his ability to help develop and improve his game to make him a fundamental part of his Villa side, then we should perhaps trust in his judgement and assessment of both the player and the current group.
Again though, that touted price-tag is high, and for a player who still has to prove a lot at the top level, it’s questionable as to whether Villa will push on with their reported pursuit unless Betis are willing to come down from that valuation.