An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their pursuit of a deal to sign Matteo Guendouzi during the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to the printed edition of L'Equipe on Friday 13th January (via Sport Witness), the Villans have started 'concrete' discussions with the player's representatives as Johan Lange attempts to secure a transfer for the Frenchman.

The report claims that they are yet to make an offer to Marseille but the Ligue 1 side are said to be open to a sale as they do not see him as an unsellable asset.

Journalist Ben Jacobs recently revealed that the midfielder's club are set to demand a fee in the region of €50m (£44m) for the French international.

Boubacar Kamara 2.0

Lange could repeat his masterclass with Boubacar Kamara last summer by raiding Marseille again to improve Unai Emery's options in the middle of the park.

Villa swooped in to sign the French defensive midfielder from the Ligue 1 outfit ahead of the 2022/23 campaign and he has hit the ground running in the Premier League this season.

The 23-year-old has played 12 games in the English top-flight and caught the eye with his reliability in possession and his impressive play off the ball. He has completed 84% of his attempted passes and averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match, which shows that he making regular defensive interventions whilst being assured with his passing.

Guendouzi could come in and have a similar level of impact, albeit in a slightly different midfield role, to the one that Kamara has had this term.

The former Arsenal man enjoyed an excellent 2021/22 campaign in Ligue 1 with Marseille as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00. He chipped in with four goals and six assists from midfield, whilst completing 87% of his attempted passes and making 1.6 tackles and interceptions per match.

This season, the Frenchman has scored once and assisted three goals in 13 top-flight appearances - making 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game and winning 53% of his ground duels.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him as a "monster in the making" and, at the age of 23, he is a player who Emery could work with over the course of a number of seasons in order to help the gem to fulfil his potential.

Guendouzi has already shown that he can deliver consistently impressive performances in a major European league, in France, and it could now be time for him to showcase his quality in the Premier League, after failing to score in two seasons for Arsenal earlier in his career.

If he can come in and hit the ground running by instantly making himself a key player in Emery's midfield then the dynamo would be Kamara 2.0 for Villa and Lange.