Over the past few years, Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have shown that they are not shy when it comes to spending on bringing new players to the club that can help strengthen the team and push the club forward.

Looking ahead to the next transfer window, there have been signs and clues emerging recently that the Midlands club will once again look to spend a significant amount of money on their recruitment, having already been mentioned with big-money moves for Premier League midfielders Yves Bissouma and Wilfred Ndidi.

However, having failed to bring a central-midfielder to Villa Park last month, the club may have an opportunity to finally get what they're after but not have to break the bank to do so.

Having been mentioned with a move for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara during the recent January window, the Frenchman's contract at the club is set to expire at the end of the season, making him a potential candidate for Villa to sign as a free agent if he doesn't put pen to paper on a new deal beforehand.

As a product of the club's youth academy, the 22-year-old, who has been described as a "phenomenon" by Rolando, has racked up a total of 151 senior appearances for Marseille across all competitions, chipping in with four goals and five assists along the way.

Last season saw the £22.5m-rated midfielder rack up an average of 2.5 tackles per game in Ligue 1, which is more than the 1.9 tackles that current Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has managed to make this season in the Premier League, which suggests that the Frenchman may be a better option than the Brazilian from a defensive point of view.

Given how Steven Gerrard's side have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their seven previous league games, it's safe to say that the Midlands club could have done with adding a defensive-minded midfielder to their squad in January when they had the chance.

Moving forward, with the summer transfer window in mind, securing Kamara's signature as a free agent could be a great investment from Villa and give Johan Lange the opportunity to save the club millions instead of splashing what could be a massive fee for the likes of Bissouma or Ndidi.

In other news: Time to go: Lange must make ruthless decision on “disgusting” £42k-p/w Villa outcast - opinion