Aston Villa are believed to have 'enquired' about the potential signing of Udinese forward Gerard Deulofeu, according to a new transfer update.
The Lowdown: Deulofeu flying at Udinese
The 28-year-old arguably hasn't reached the heights that many predicted earlier in his career, but that's not to say that he isn't enjoying an excellent season currently.
Deulofeu has registered six assists in 15 Serie A starts for Udinese in 2022/23 to date, as well as scoring twice and averaging an impressive three key passes per game. In fact, that figure ranks him as the third most creative player in the Italian top flight, in terms of creating shooting opportunities.
Villa have been linked with a move for the Spaniard recently and their interest doesn't appear to have gone away.
The Latest: Villa enquire about move
According to BirminghamLive, the Villans have 'enquired' about the possibility of bringing Deulofeu to the club:
"BirminghamLive understands Villa have enquired about Deulofeu's availability ahead of making a move for the 28-year-old. Emery worked with the former Everton star while at Sevilla, when he was on loan from Barcelona in 2014/15 and made 17 La Liga appearances that season.
"Deulofeu is in the best form of his career at Udinese and has so far this term chipped in with nine goal contributions in 15 matches, after he netted 13 goals for the Italian club last season. His move to the Serie A came after Watford were relegated from the Premier League in 2020; the year which Villa staved off a swift return to the Championship."
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The Verdict: Great attacking option
Deulofeu could potentially be a risky signing, considering he has flattered to deceive throughout his career - he was once considered the next big thing at Barcelona - but he is worth taking a punt on, with Will Hughes once claiming he can produce moments of 'magic'.
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At 28, the £20,000-a-week attacker appears to have matured as a player, delivering consistent end product for Udinese, and he could thrive working alongside Unai Emery.
Deulofeu has also proven himself in the Premier League in the past, appearing 127 times in the competition and enjoying 44 goal contributions (20 goals and 24 assists) in that time.
He could even be considered a direct replacement for Philippe Coutinho if the latter leaves in January, likely coming in on smaller wages and hopefully being a greater influence on Emery's team.