An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their chances of landing Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie during the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato Web, the Spanish giants are willing to include the Ivory Coast international as part of an offer to sign Douglas Luiz from the English side at the start of 2023.

The report claims that the Catalonian outfit are preparing a proposal to send to Villa as they want to add the Brazilian maestro to their squad for the second half of the season.

They are prepared to offer money and Kessie in exchange for the former Manchester City man, although Juventus and Milan are also said to be keen on the Barcelona tank.

Unai Emery masterclass

Emery can now land his first masterclass in the transfer market by sanctioning this deal to go through when the January transfer window opens in six weeks.

Receiving money and Kessie in exchange for Luiz could be a masterstroke by the head coach, and the club, as they could get an upgrade to their current team, whilst also bringing in funds to potentially strengthen other areas of the pitch.

FFC published an article this week explaining why the Barcelona midfielder has the quality to be an improvement on the current Villans gem but the inclusion of money as part of a deal makes it a no-brainer for the Premier League side.

The £152k-per-week Ivorian enforcer enjoyed a phenomenal time with Milan and has proven that he has the ability to make a big impact at the top level, even though he has struggled - with two La Liga starts - in his first few months in Spain.

Former Italy international Antonio Cassano once hailed the gem's ability in possession. Speaking to BoboTV,as transcribed by Milan Live, he said: “I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he is intelligent."

These comments are backed up by the midfielder's form in Serie A last season for Milan as the 25-year-old averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.07 and scored six goals in 31 outings, whilst completing 88% of his attempted passes - showing that he rarely loses the ball for his team.

He also scored 13 goals and provided four assists - averaging a score of 7.18 - in the 2020/21 campaign, which proves that he is capable of delivering consistently brilliant displays whilst chipping in with contributions in the final third.

Meanwhile, Luiz averaged a score of 6.89 and scored twice in 34 Premier League appearances last term, completing 87% of his attempted passes.

Therefore, signing Kessie in exchange for the current Villa midfielder and raking in money alongside the Ivorian would be a masterclass of a transfer move by Emery, as the club could land an upgrade to their team whilst being paid for the luxury.