The January transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday night and Aston Villa ended the month with two new signings heading into the second half of the campaign.

Unai Emery moved to sign Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran from Real Betis and Chicago Fire respectively to bolster his options in defence and at the top end of the pitch.

However, the deadline passing by for Villa to bring players in does not mean that there won't be any more business done before the end of the season, as transfer windows in other countries remain open.

The Brazilian market is still in play and Philippe Coutinho's agent has refused to rule out the possibility of him returning to his home country before its transfer deadline.

This means that the former Liverpool playmaker could be on his way out of Villa Park in the coming weeks, and his exit would leave a gap in the squad heading into the summer.

Emery could plug that gap and find Coutinho's heir by pursuing a deal to sign Chile international Dario Osorio ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Villa were linked with a swoop for the talented 19-year-old attacking midfielder in the January transfer window, and the manager must now carry that over to the summer to replace the Brazilian creator.

The dynamo, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed as "flamboyant", scored seven goals and created four 'big chances' in 16 starts in the Chilean top flight in 2022, which shows that the youngster has a knack for scoring and creating goals from an attacking midfield position.

Former Chile international Raul Toro once lauded the gem's talent, saying: “Dario Osorio sooner or later is going to be a craque (top player). (But) he has a long way to go. He scores beautiful goals but does not know how to score ugly goals.

“I find him very similar to Raphinha; Barcelona’s Brazilian. He is the jewel of Chilean soccer. At any moment, he can score a goal or provide an assist. In Chilean football, there is no one like him.”

The teenager, who can play through the middle or on either flank, has also been capped three times by Chile at senior level, which shows how highly he is rated by his country.

Osorio is an up-and-coming talent who could be a long-term signing for Villa, whereas Coutinho is now in his 30s and heading towards the final years of his career, which is why signing the Chilean to replace him could be a shrewd move.

The Villans could add a young player with potential to their squad to be the heir to someone who has failed to contribute to a single goal in 17 appearances in the Premier League this season, which seems to be a good trade on paper.