An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in signing a new central midfielder in the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to Total Football, via Spanish outlet Sport, the Villans are one of two Premier League clubs eyeing up 25-year-old Barcelona gem Franck Kessie.

The report claims that Unai Emery's side are plotting a €14m (£12m) offer to snap the Ivory Coast international up at the start of 2023, but rivals Fulham may trump them with a bid that could rise to €22m (£19m).

It is stated that selling the midfielder would be a welcome relief to Barcelona as they are in need of a cash boost after being knocked out of the Champions League during the group stages this season.

Douglas Luiz upgrade

Emery could land an upgrade on current central midfielder Douglas Luiz by securing a deal to sign Kessie from the La Liga giants ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Although, Villa must - firstly - beat off interest from Fulham and potentially raise their offer to match the one that Marco Silva's side are wiling to put on the table.

Luiz has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.89 across 14 Premier League appearances this season, which is the same score he managed in 34 outings in the division during the 2021/22 campaign.

Last term, the Brazilian gem chipped in with two goals and three assists from midfield and won 50% of his individual duels, whilst making 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game.

Kessie, who David Amoyal described as a "tank", averaged a score of 7.07 in the Serie A for AC Milan that season - scoring six goals and creating two 'big chances' for his teammates.

He also won 55% of his individual battles and made 2.0 tackles and interceptions per match, which shows that he did not shy away from the physical side of the game.

That came after he managed a score of 7.18 in the 2020/21 Serie A campaign. Kessie scored a whopping 13 goals and provided four assists, whilst making 2.6 tackles and interceptions per outing, as he showcased his immense talent in midfield.

Therefore, the Barcelona man, who Antonio Cassano once hailed as "devastating", has the potential to be a big upgrade on Luiz for Aston Villa, both in terms of the goal contributions he can provide and the efficiency of his defending. 

A couple of injury issues have stunted his development in Spain but he could be a phenomenal signing for Emery if he is able to recapture the form he showed at Milan, as he has the quality to be more effective than Luiz at both ends of the pitch.