Aston Villa are in the race for out-of-favour Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha, according to an update from journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Wolves interest

The 23-year-old has found himself slipping down the pecking order at Atletico in recent times, warming the substitutes' bench far more often than he would like.

Cunha has only started twice in La Liga this season, and not at all in the Champions League, and he has been linked with a move to Wolves, who are believed to be leading the race for his signature.

As Unai Emery looks for new signings, however, it looks as though he could put his La Liga nous to good use and put Villa firmly in the mix for the talented Brazilian.

The Latest: Villa join the race

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor claimed that the Villans are keen on adding Cunha to their squad in the near future:

"In terms of clubs interested, I know Villa are looking, Leeds as well. Leeds actually looked at him before he went to Atletico Madrid.

"But I do expect Wolves to be in the box seat for that one, but obviously there’s no agreement to date, which does leave the door open to someone else."

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The Verdict: Exactly what is needed

Cunha's stock may have fallen of late but he is an excellent footballer with eight caps to his name for Brazil, even dubbed the new Roberto Firmino for his versatility, work rate and audacious skills.

With Villa in need of an attacking spark, the Atletico man could provide exactly that, proving equally capable of thriving on the flanks or centrally, and scoring 15 goals in just 16 appearances for Brazil's Under-21s.

Cunha would surely jump at the chance of being a star man at a new club, while the lure of playing for Emery, and in the Premier League, could further boost Villa's hopes.