Aston Villa are reportedly considering making an offer worth £15m for River Plate forward Julian Alvarez this summer.
Dean Smith has already seen the club invest a club-record fee for Emiliano Buendia in this transfer window, but in order to compete for a European spot in the Premier League next season, further reinforcements may well be needed.
READ MORE: Who is Julian Alvarez? Analysis of touted Aston Villa transfer target
Villa struggled in the second half of last season after Jack Grealish sustained an injury, and that in turn exposed the reliance on our influential captain to make us a threat in the final third.
Buendia will add goals and creativity, but to add more quality behind Ollie Watkins, it appears as though Alvarez could be on our transfer shortlist this summer too.
As per Argentine outlet Ole, Villa are said to be considering a proposal worth around £15m for Alvarez to prise him away from River Plate, and it notes how the 21-year-old ticks all the right boxes in terms of what Villa are looking for both in terms of him as a player and the value of the deal.
Time will tell how the situation unfolds and if Villa do indeed lodge the touted bit to step up their pursuit, but Alvarez certainly has made a positive impression in his young career thus far.
Predominantly used on the right wing, he has the versatility to play on the opposite flank and up front too, and he’s scored 16 goals and provided 17 assists in 69 appearances for River Plate.
He also made his senior international debut earlier this month to earn his first cap for Argentina, and so he appears to have a bright future ahead of him for club and country if he continues to develop and improve his game.
Whether that process comes in a Villa shirt in the coming years remains to be seen, but talk of a potential swoop continues.