Aston Villa are reportedly keen on signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, with manager Steven Gerrard personally scouting the 29-year-old against Manchester City on Wednesday.

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According to the Birmingham Mail's Patrick Rowe, Gerrard is understood to have been in Spain earlier this week to scout Kondogbia, who played the entirety of both legs of Atletico's Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.

Rowe also tweeted saying that the midfielder is 'a serious target' for Villa, who are 'very confident' of getting a deal done.

The Central African Republic international has made 33 appearances in all competitions for Diego Simeone's side this term and has two years left on his contract at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Villa must sign Kondogbia

It's already been made pretty public that Aston Villa will be looking to add at least one midfielder to their ranks this summer with Brighton's Yves Bissouma a long-term target.

Villa already have the likes of Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba amongst their midfield ranks, although one may have to depart to accommodate fresh faces.

Nakamba's fate could particularly be at risk with the Zimbabwean yet to return from a knee injury that has kept him out since December, having made the bench in last weekend's 4-0 defeat to Tottenham.

Prior to his injury, the 28-year-old had made 12 Premier League appearances but could now find himself fourth in the pecking order.

At 29, Kondogbia possesses a plethora of experience, having made a total of 363 club appearances for an array of elite European outfits.

Whilst at Inter Milan in 2016, then manager Frank De Boer claimed that the defensive midfielder, who was 23 at the time, was "like [Paul] Pogba" and that "he has all the characteristics needed to become a top player."

Kondogbia has certainly gone on to build a stellar CV, having played for the likes of Inter, Atletico, Valencia, Sevilla and Monaco.

Moreover, last season, the £107k-per-week midfielder was also part of the La Liga-winning Atletico Madrid team and has also won the Spanish cup with Valencia in 2019 and the Europa League with Sevilla in 2014.

According to SofaScore, the 29-year-old has averaged 1.5 interceptions, 2.8 tackles, and 0.9 clearances a match whilst completing 86% of his passes and 90% of his dribbles in the Spanish top flight this term.

Kondogbia's talent and pedigree are certainly greater than any of the midfielders currently in Aston Villa's squad, making the possible completion of a deal undoubtedly exciting for the Villa faithful.

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