Aston Villa are reportedly the latest English side to show an interest in Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho and the Portuguese star could prove to be Unai Emery's own version of Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong at Villa Park.

Could Aston Villa sign William Carvalho?

According to reports from Spain, Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham are all keen on signing the 30-year-old when the summer transfer window opens.

Despite winning the Copa del Rey last season and reaching the final 16 of the Europa League this year, the report claims that Betis are undergoing financial difficulties and could be forced to sell some of their top talents, with Carvalho one of the favourites to leave.

The defensive midfielder has long been linked with a Premier League switch, with all the top clubs reportedly keen at one point or another, but he will make just his second appearance on English soil when Betis face Manchester United at Old Trafford this evening.

Transfermarkt currently values the Portugal international at €16m (£14m) so he could prove to be a bargain signing for Emery in the summer as he looks to improve upon his midfield options at the Midlands club.

Who is William Carvalho similar to?

According to FBref, the most similar player to Carvalho when compared to other midfielders across Europe's top five leagues is Barcelona star, Frenkie de Jong.

The Dutch midfielder, who was heavily linked with a switch to Manchester United last summer, has established himself as one of the best in the world in his position since joining from Ajax in 2019.

The 25-year-old's impressive 7.10 rating from WhoScored in La Liga this season sees him ranked as the fourth-best player in Xavi's squad at the Nou Camp, so signing a similar player certainly looks to be a good idea for Emery, given that no player in his squad has averaged above a 6.8 rating from WhoScored in the Premier League.

As per FBref, Carvalho and De Jong have registered extremely similar stats with regard to goals and assists per 90 (both 0.17), tackles (both 29) and successful take-ons (35 vs 34), proving they are both all-action assets from a central area.

WhoScored also suggests that both Carvalho and De Jong excel at passing and like to do layoffs, so they are clearly similar types of players.

Therefore, Villa should definitely be looking to bring the "extraordinary" £30k-per-week midfielder, in the words of Paulo Bento, to the Premier League this summer.