An update has emerged on Aston Villa's pursuit of West Brom youngster Finn Azaz...

What's the talk?

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Finn Azaz from rivals West Brom on a free transfer. The Villans are poised to bring the midfielder in before sending him straight back out on loan to Newport County in the Football League.

The Baggies confirmed that they had offered a contract extension to the youngster earlier this month, but he now appears set to reject their proposal in order to seal a switch to Villa Park.

Louie Barry 2.0

Dean Smith could be about to land the new Louie Barry in bringing Azaz to the club. Villa snapped Barry up for £900k from Barcelona in 2020, but he had previously been on the books at The Hawthorns and now looks to be one who got away for them, following his impressive goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup for Villa last season - showing off the potential he has.

Despite being 20, Azaz racked up 41 appearances in all competitions for Cheltenham on loan last season. He played 37 times in League Two, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.59 as a starter in central midfield. Whilst this may not standout as an impressive standard of performance, it does show that he was able to play regularly at a decent level in spite of his previous inexperience.

Gloucestershire Live journalist Jonathan Palmer labeled the midfielder as a real talent and highlighted his ability to be creative in the number 10 position behind the striker/s. 

"Finn Azaz is operating in a ‘number 10’ role supporting two centre forwards and has excelled so far. He has plenty of tricks and flicks in his locker but has already shown progress regarding when to try things and when to keep it simple.

"His ability has shone through since pre-season and he looks a real talent based on his early competitive appearances.”

This shows that he did show signs of quality throughout his loan spell and that he could be a player to watch out for in the future. Therefore, he could end up becoming a great prospect, like Barry, and be another academy product Villa are able to swoop up to leave West Brom ruining their luck.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grealish: Dean Smith must unleash 6 ft 1 gem who could be Villa's game-changer...