An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their plans to bolster their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window...

What's the latest on Giovani Lo Celso to Aston Villa?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Villans are interested in a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder Giovani Lo Celso ahead of next season.

Unai Emery is said to be pushing for the club to pursue a deal to sign the Argentine, who is open to the idea of a switch to join the Spaniard.

Romano Tweeted: "Aston Villa have concrete interest in Gio Lo Celso and the player would be keen on the move; still waiting to understand who's gonna be new Tottenham coach as he will return from Villarreal. Unai Emery, pushing for Lo Celso; but it's not the only name in the list."

How has Giovani Lo Celso performed this season?

The 27-year-old, who worked with Emery at Villarreal, is on loan in LaLiga from Spurs and has been in exceptional form in the middle of the park.

He has produced consistently impressive performances in midfield and his statistics indicate that incoming sporting director Mateu Alemany could bring the maestro in as a big upgrade on Villa's current left-footed maestro - John McGinn.

Lo Celso, who was once hailed as an "engine" by teammate Juan Foyth, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across 18 appearances in LaLiga this term.

The £72k-per-week Argentine magician also ranks in the top 12% of players in his position in Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days for progressive passes, progressive carries, shot-creating actions, and assists per 90.

This shows that Lo Celso excels at being able to progress the ball forward from midfield positions to create chances for his teammates in the final third. He is able to accelerate the play with both his passing and dribbling quality and open up the space for others to shoot, or to then create a chance of their own.

McGinn, meanwhile, does not rank higher than the top 29% of players in his position in Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days in the Premier League in any of the aforementioned statistics.

This suggests that the Villarreal loanee could be a major upgrade on the Villans captain in terms of what he offers in possession in driving the team up the pitch to make a difference in the middle and final thirds, based on his form over the last year.

Lo Celso and McGinn also average 3.05 and 3.14 tackles and interceptions combined per 90, an indication that Villa would not lose much defensive quality by taking the Scotland international out in favour of the Spurs outcast, with both players able to cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis.

Alemany must now make the signing one of his first priorities this summer as he could come in as a big upgrade to the club's midfield options.