Aston Villa are reportedly considering a move for Queens Park Rangers winger Ilias Chair in the January transfer window and he could be a big upgrade on Philippe Coutinho in Unai Emery's side.

According to Football Insider, Villa scouts have been sent to Loftus Road on a number of occasions this season to keep an eye on the exciting 24-year-old, who is catching the eye in Michael Beale's Championship side.

The Morocco international has been in outstanding form so far this season, contributing three goals and six assists over 16 appearances in the second tier, with WhoScored awarding him an impressive 7.24 rating for his performances.

This ranks him as the second-best performer in QPR's side, which emphasises how important he has been to their superb start to the season, which currently sees them occupy an automatic promotion spot in the Championship.

Since signing for the club in 2018, the attacking midfielder has gone on to make 167 appearances for the Hoops, scoring 26 goals and assisting 28 over the past four years.

Glenn Murray was full of praise for the former Stevenage man on Sky Sports (via TEAMtalk) last year, saying:

"There’s no question about his talent. He’s such an exciting prospect. I noticed him a couple of years ago and he’s the real deal."

While it remains to be seen whether or not Emery will be keen on a move for the Moroccan, there is little doubt that, on current form at least, Chair would be a superior option to Coutinho in the Spaniard's squad.

The Brazilian has struggled immensely since making his move to Villa Park permanent last season, with no goals and no assists in any of his 11 Premier League appearances so far this season, with WhoScored awarding him a shocking 6.41 average rating.

Coutinho has averaged fewer shots (1.5 vs 2.7), key passes (0.5 vs 2.4) and dribbles (one vs 1.5) per game than Chair this season, so if Emery wants to improve his new side's fortunes, then swapping in the 24-year-old for the former Liverpool man should be one of his first big decisions.