Aston Villa have been linked with Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie recently and the Ivorian could be Unai Emery's own version of Yaya Toure.

According to Spanish news outlet Sport, Villa would be willing to offer €14m (£12m) for the 25-year-old in January, a price tag significantly lower than his £52m value courtesy of CIES.

Indeed, the Catalan club might be prepared to accept such a low amount as they are in need of a financial injection after their excessive summer spending failed to result in a spot in the Champions League knockout stages.

Kessie only arrived from AC Milan on a free transfer in the summer but has struggled for regular game time in Xavi's side so far this campaign, with just two starts in La Liga to his name thus far.

It is something of a surprise that the Ivory Coast international has struggled to win over his new manager, considering his superb form which helped AC Milan to the title last season.

He would make 31 appearances in Serie A, scoring an impressive six goals from his central berth and averaging a strong 6.94 rating from WhoScored, which suggests that he could be an excellent addition at Villa Park if he can rediscover that form under Emery.

His form at the San Siro earned him a lot of praise from Antonio Cassano, with the former Italy striker singing his praises on Bobo TV.

He said: “I want Kessie in my team, he scores goals, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn't lose the ball, he's intelligent. I'm watching him carefully, he was devastating against Roma.

"It reminds me of the Yaya Touré of better times. He's a different player, but in terms of impact. He is holding up the Milan midfield by himself ."

This is certainly a promising comparison, given Toure's hugely impressive form in the Premier League during his time with Manchester City, who he also joined from Barcelona.

The powerful midfielder would notch an incredible 79 goals and 49 assists in his time at the Etihad, including 20 goals and nine assists in an incredible 2013/14 campaign.

Therefore, the prospect of having a similar player to Toure at Villa Park will surely be an exciting one for fans, and Emery will no doubt be hoping that he can entice the Barcelona man to leave Camp Nou.