According reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing free agent Alex Teixeira.
What's the story?
Dean Smith's side have enjoyed a superb Premier League season thus far, placing themselves firmly in the battle for a European place. And, according to Spanish publication, Fichajes, Villa are keen on making a move for Teixeira.
The Brazilian left Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning at the end of December, and the report claims that Villa, along with both Benfica and his former side Shakhtar Donetsk, are keen on giving him an immediate return to football.
It's further suggested that Villa see Teixeira as someone who could give a "big boost" to their European push.
Upgrade on Barkley
Described as a "technical leader", Teixeira has been doing the business across the world for a number of years now, amassing a quite incredible 172 goals over his illustrious career - that despite predominantly featuring as a number ten or out wide.
Speaking back in 2016, Teixeira's then boss at Shakhtar, Mircea Lucescu, said: "He’s incredible, very fast, very good technique. I compare him with other players of the same age who changed (the fortunes of) a club, (Angel) Di Maria for example at Paris Saint-Germain.
"Teixeira can be at the same level, better even. He doesn’t get injured, and every year he gets better and better."
The Brazilian would offer an immediate upgrade on Ross Barkley, who has still yet to prove himself as a real consistent performer over the years. He has never managed more than eight goals in a single league campaign, whilst his totals in the past three seasons in particular have been shocking to say the least, with three, one and two goals respectively.
On the other hand, Teixeira has consistently broken past the ten goal barrier in the league both at Shakhtar and with Jiangsu. Since the 2012/2013 campaign, he has managed totals of: 10, 6, 17, 22, 11, 8, 13 and 18. The veteran is a goal-scoring machine from midfield, and would give Smith's side an added dimension, instead of just having to rely on Ollie Watkins to score all the time.
Teixeira's consistency over such a long period of time, and the fact that he's had plenty of experience playing at the highest level in the Champions League too, means he would surely represent an upgrade on Barkley. The fact he "doesn't get injured", like has been the case with the England international, makes him all the more of an attractive proposition when you add that to the fact he would arrive on a free transfer.