According to reports, Aston Villa will try again in the January transfer window to sign Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.

What's the word?

Reports back in the summer suggested that Villa's fellow Premier League side Burnley were keen on putting together a £15m deal to entice him away from France, but that failed to come to fruition, with Simakan staying put.

Now, an intermediary for the defender, Francesco Di Frisco told Italian publication Calcio Mercato that Villa, and a number of other clubs across Europe could make a renewed attempt to sign him.

He said (via Sport Witness): "There were many teams on Simakan: Lyon, Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, especially the Germans tried until the last hours of the market. In January, I think these clubs, including Milan, will try to push again. The boy has picked up where he left off, showing his qualities and it’s possible that his admirers will also increase."

Lange must win the race

At just 20-years-old, it's little wonder that some of European football's most prestigious sides are often Simakan.

The starlet, who is capable of playing at either centre-back or right-back, has all the qualities to become a real top defender at the highest level, especially when you consider that Strasbourg's club president, and former France international, Marc Keller, said he had shades of Real Madrid star Raphael Varane.

Simakan has already established himself as a key part of his team's starting eleven, playing the full 90 minutes in every single Ligue 1 game this season. Despite Strasbourg's lowly position - they currently find themselves 18th - the 6 foot 2 powerhouse putting in some exemplary individual displays.

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As per Whoscored, he is averaging an impressive 2.1 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game in the French top-flight. To put that into context, among all players in the division, he ranks 44th and joint-20th for those two stats respectively.

With Tyrone Mings being left-footed, and also capable of playing in a back-three as shown by his performances with England, Simakan's own versatility of being able to play at full-back could see him become the perfect partner for the Villa ace. Johan Lange must surely do everything he can to win the race to sign him in January.