Aston Villa have maintained an intrigue in Villarreal's dynamic forward Arnaut Danjuma since the managerial appointment of Unai Emery, and have now distinguished the ace as the prime January transfer target...

What's the word?

After an encouraging start to life in the Midlands, Emery is now targeting fresh faces across the park to bolster the collective efforts of the squad; with full-back Alex Moreno closing on a £12.5m transfer, the onus is now on fortifying the offensive wide flanks.

The Spaniard manager ditched Villarreal for his current outfit when replacing the sacked Steven Gerrard in the Claret & Blue dugout following a spluttering start to the season and now could return for the £22m-rated Danjuma to bolster his own outfit.

Transfer insider Dean Jones recently provided a welcome update to the ears of the Villa faithful when discussing the matter with GIVEMESPORT, etching Danjuma's name to the forefront of Emery's winter transfer plans.

He said: “I think Danjuma was first-choice in the sense that he was the first name they wanted to explore, and they have been doing that.”

Abraham 2.0

The Villa hierarchy will be delighted and emboldened by the maiden period of Emery's tenure at the club, with three victories and just one defeat across the 51-year-old's first five Premier League outings since being relieved of duties at Arsenal in 2019.

Victories over Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion are evidence enough that the recipe for success is within Emery's grasp, albeit missing an ingredient or two.

One of the issues certainly lies on the offensive flanks, with Leon Bailey perhaps the only intrinsically traditional winger, Philippe Coutinho haplessly subpar, and Anwar El Ghazi and Mahmoud Trezeguet both departing the club on permanent deals last summer.

And indeed, Emiliano Buendia is the only wide man to rank within the top ten within the squad for seasonal rating in the top flight, coming in at fifth with a solid average of 6.89.

While the Dutch Danjuma has been flourishing as a centre-forward for the Yellow Submarine, his ubiquitous presence as an offensive demon will be one of the most arresting elements behind Emery's desire to swoop.

Having forged 16 goals and four assists from 34 competitive outings with his current side, the 25-year-old Danjuma boasts a striking pedigree that guarantees goals, with his seasonal swan-song with AFC Bournemouth, in the Championship, resulting in a tremendous return of 17 goals and eight assists from 37 appearances.

Should he arrive at Villa Park, Villa would likely yield their most prolific focal point since Tammy Abraham, who scored 25 goals in the Championship when the club languished below the Premier League.

With Danjuma's 16 goals last term a reflection of the English Forward's 27, and both players boasting physical prowess and deceptive bursts of speed, like a cheetah changing track, frontal fluidity could be securely rekindled.

And with further comparative figures such as Danjuma's 2.7 shots per match last season and Abraham's 2.6, the former would surely slot right back under the wing of Emery.

Kevin Phillips once called Danjuma a "nightmare" for opponents, and with his menacing offensive presence, rightfully so; but he would be a dream signing for Villa, and one they must pursue.