Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could sign a major Douglas Luiz upgrade in Southampton and England star James Ward-Prowse this summer.

What's the story?

According to recent reports from The Guardian, the Villa manager is keen on landing Ward-Prowse in the transfer window, and given his performances for the Saints, he would be a real better option for the Midlands side than Luiz.

Better than Douglas Luiz

Hailed as a "machine", Ward-Prowse enjoyed a superb campaign with the Saints last season, scoring eight goals and providing a further seven assists in the top-flight.

And, speaking exclusively to FFC, former England defender Carlton Palmer said that signing for Villa would be a good move for the midfielder, claiming:

"Villa are going for it. They've just managed to sign Buendia. Villa are a big, big club, and have a top manager in Dean Smith. So, from Southampton to Aston Villa, I think that's a good move. And with Grealish there, I don't expect Grealish to be going anywhere.

"He's getting a very good squad of players there, and they could be challenging top six or top seven next season, so that would be a good move for him."

Rated at £60m by CIES, Ward-Prowse comfortably betters Luiz in a lot of the key midfield metrics, not least when it comes to goals and assists - the Brazilian managed no goals and just two assists in the top-flight.

As per Whoscored, the Saints man also appears to be better defensively than Luiz, averaging far more tackles and more clearances while also making fewer fouls and being dribbled past fewer times per game too.

Those stats point to Ward-Prowse being the kind of tigerish midfielder who can help out when pressing and who can put his foot in, but one who is not reckless by committing needless fouls or simply being ran past too easily.

And then, when you add in his attacking contributions, the England international shines considerably more than Villa's current midfielder.

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Johan Lange could sign a real upgrade on Luiz in Southampton's Ward-Prowse this summer, if he can get a deal done.

Meanwhile, Duncan Castles has dropped an exciting Aston Villa transfer claim...