An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their pursuit of Atletico Madrid's Matheus Cunha ahead of the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

An Italian journalist has claimed that the Villans are one of a number of teams eyeing up a deal to sign the centre-forward at the start of 2023.

It is reported that fellow Premier League side Wolves are currently leading the race, although Everton, and Leeds United are also keen on him.

Mundo Deportivo recently stated that Atletico would be willing to sanction a sale for the 23-year-old if an offer of up to €35m (£30m) came in for his services.

Unai Emery's own Heung Min Son

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him as a "beautiful player to watch" and hailed one of his goals as "Henry-esque", whilst also comparing him to Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son in the past.

The current Spurs winger started his career in Germany with Hamburg and produced 41 goals and ten assists in 135 Bundesliga matches for them and Bayer Leverkusen combined - a contribution every 2.65 outings - before sealing his move to England in 2015.

Cunha, meanwhile, started out in Switzerland with FC Sion before moving to the German top flight with RB Leipzig. He racked up 14 goals and ten assists in 74 outings during his time in Germany, whilst also playing for Hertha Berlin, and this works out at a goal involvement every 3.08 games.

Like Son, the Brazilian's main two positions are on the left wing and through the middle as a centre-forward. He is adept at playing in a variety of roles across the frontline and has shown, with 39 goals and 29 assists at club level, that he can have an impact by scoring and creating goals.

Whilst he may not go on to score 96 goals and assist 54 in 245 Premier League appearances, like the Tottenham man, Cunha could be Emery's own version of the South Korea international.

At the age of 23, the attacker still has plenty of time left to develop and hone his skills and could progress into becoming an impressive performer in the English top flight after showing signs of promise in the Bundesliga.

Although, his seven goals and eight assists in 54 matches for Atletico to date are a warning sign that it may not an easy transition for the gem.

However, Villa should take the risk on the young dynamo due to his potential and what he could bring to the side, in terms of his goal contributions and versatility at the top end of the pitch, if the manager can get the best out of him.