An update has emerged regarding Roma's interest in reported Aston Villa transfer target Andre-Frank Anguissa.

What's the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, Roma are interested in signing the Fulham midfielder, with the Cottagers said to want a fee in the region of €25m (£21m) for him.

The Daily Mail reported earlier this summer that Villa, Everton and Arsenal are all keen on a deal for the 25-year-old following Fulham's relegation back down to the Championship.

Upgrade on Luiz

Johan Lange must react to this news by sanctioning a deal to sign Anguissa. With Roma now circling around the Cottagers ace, Villa must act now to avoid losing out on him as the Giallorossi could snap him up before the Villans have a chance to strike if they dawdle in the coming days and weeks.

Anguissa impressed in the Premier League for Fulham despite their relegation last term and he could prove to be an upgrade on Douglas Luiz in Villa's starting XI. The Brazilian averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.67 across 33 appearances, whilst making 2.8 tackles and interceptions along with 0.6 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game for Dean Smith's side.

Meanwhile, the Fulham man averaged a fine WhoScored rating of 6.99 in the top flight. He made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst also completing an eye-catching 2.7 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per match. This suggests that Anguissa could offer more quality defensively and offensively for Villa than Luiz, whilst also performing to a higher standard week in, week out, having proven that he can do so whilst playing in the same division as the 23-year-old.

Joachim Andersen, who recently left Fulham, has heaped praise on Anguissa in the past. He said of the Cameroonian: "He's a top player. He's a machine in the midfield. He's winning so many balls and driving forward with it."

Toni Conceicao, the 25-year-old's manager at international level, said: "He’s a quality player. In football, the collective is the most important, so you have to have players that work for the team. And although Anguissa is not a Messi or Ronaldo, he’s a player that has a lot of capacity to influence the match. He brings a lot of tactical culture and rigour to the team.

"He has got a really good passing ability, long and short, and is one of those players that makes the team tick without necessarily being the standout. As a coach and with all due respect to Fulham, which I know is a great club, Anguissa can reach an even higher level."

Therefore, Lange must land the £70k-per-week beast to improve Smith's squad this summer. Even if he does not immediately replace Luiz in the side, he could provide excellent competition before eventually taking a place in the starting XI.

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