Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is considering a move to bring Julian Alvarez to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by Luke Hatfield, with the Express & Star journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, amid Aston Villa's links with a move for the River Plate centre-forward, Gerrard and the transfer team at Villa Park are indeed keeping a very close eye on the 21-year-old ahead of a potential January swoop.

Speaking about Villa's interest in the Argentina international, Hatfield said: "He's a young player, he started this season fantastically and he's a player who's a bit versatile as well - he can play up front, he can play on the wing - so he's a player that I'm sure Villa will have an eye on."

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how much potential Julian Alvarez quite clearly possesses, the news that Aston Villa are indeed considering a move for the striker this winter is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 19 Liga Profesional appearances so far this season, the £18m-rated man has scored a remarkable 17 goals, registered seven assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well taking an average of 3.3 shots and making two key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Golazo Argentino dubbed a "phenomenon" average an extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.82, ranking him not only as Marcelo Gallardo's best performer in the league but also as the best player in the Argentine top flight as a whole.

As such, the prospect of Alvarez linking up with the likes of Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey in Aston Villa's front three is an incredibly exciting one indeed.

The potential signing of the 21-year-old - who is reported to be available for €25m (£21m) due to a release clause in his contract at River Plate - would also send a very clear message to the rest of the Premier League that Gerrard and Villa are serious contenders for European qualification come next May.

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