Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram in January and the Frenchman could be Unai Emery's own version of Robert Lewandowski at Villa Park.

According to reports from Italy, Villa, Crystal Palace and Arsenal are all interested in signing the 25-year-old after his impressive performances in the Bundesliga in recent seasons.

The French striker struggled with injury problems in the last campaign but has returned to the side with devastating effect, with nine goals and three assists in just 14 Bundesliga appearances so far this term.

It was suggested by The Athletic during the summer that Thuram could be available for as little as £10m due to his contract expiring in the summer of 2023, which suggests that Villa could prise him away for a similar - or even lower - price in January.

Emery's side would also be able to approach the striker on a pre-contract deal with the view to signing him on a free transfer next summer, which considering his superb form this season, could prove to be a huge coup for Emery.

The Frenchman's incredible 7.42 average rating from WhoScored is far better than anyone in the Villa squad, which emphasises the quality that he could add to Emery's side.

Thuram's electric performances have seen him labelled as "world-class" by Wolfsburg's sporting director  Marcel Schäfer, while he is also statistically very similar to Lewandowski, so he could be an incredible addition at Villa Park.

According to FBRef, the legendary Polish striker is the second-most similar player to Thuram across Europe's top league, which is certainly not a bad comparison to have given his ridiculous goalscoring form with Bayern Munich and Barcelona over the past decade.

This season has seen the two strikers register very similar statistics with regard to shots on target (both 28), goal-creating actions (both seven) and dribble success rate (51.2% vs 50%).

WhoScored also suggests that both Lewandowski and Thuram excel at finishing and dribbling, so they are both clearly dangerous players in the final third who are equally adept at scoring and creating chances for teammates.

Emery would surely be foolish to turn down such an in-form player who is statistically similar to one of the best strikers on the planet, especially considering he could be available for a cut-price in January, so the Spaniard should definitely look at bringing Thuram to Villa Park.