An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in signing midfielder Weston McKennie in the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has Tweeted that the Villans are "interested" in snapping up the USMNT star before the end of the month.

The accompanying article also states that the player would be keen on a move to Villa Park if the right proposal came his way and Juventus are not expected to need a replacement for the gem before cashing in on him.

It was previously reported, by Calciomercato, that the Italian giants are hoping to sell the central midfielder for a fee of up to €30m (£26m) but it remains to be seen whether or not Johan Lange is willing to match that figure.

Leander Dendoncker upgrade

Villa signed Leander Dendoncker on a permanent deal from fellow Premier League side Wolves in the summer transfer window but the Belgium international has struggled to find his feet this season.

The 27-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.72 across 13 appearances in the top flight and that places him 17th in Unai Emery's squad, which does not suggest that he is anywhere near being one of the club's top performers.

McKennie, meanwhile, has averaged a score of 6.85 across 11 outings in the Serie A for Juventus and this immediately indicates that he could be an upgrade on Dendoncker in terms of the average standard of his performances in the middle of the park.

The USA dynamo has also created three 'big chances' for his teammates and provided 0.6 key passes per game from midfield, whilst the Villa man has created just one 'big chance' and made only 0.3 key passes per outing, proving he does not offer as much in possession as the Old Lady gem.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as an "incredibly underrated" player and his former Schalke coach, David Wagner, once lauded the warrior by saying: "He's an outstanding talent. In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality, a real working mentality that you need. And he's brave on the ball as well. He can be one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga."

This suggests that he will work his socks off for Emery in midfield, which could suit the manager's all-action midfield set-up, and he still has room to grow at the age of 24, which means that the boss can work with him on the training pitch to improve his performances.

Therefore, Villa could land an excellent signing for the here, now and for the future by swooping to sign McKennie before the end of the month.