Transfer expert Dean Jones has claimed that Aston Villa have an 'edge' over Bournemouth in the race to sign Juventus central midfielder Weston McKennie.

The Lowdown: Contact made

It has recently been reported that Villa have 'made contact' over the potential signing of McKennie, but CalcioMercato have stated that Bournemouth are also keen to bring the him to the Premier League.

Villa are also 'closing in' on the signing of Real Betis left-back Alex Moreno, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, and McKennie could be next through the doors at Villa Park.

The Latest: Villa have 'edge'

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Villa have an 'edge' over Bournemouth in the race for McKennie, as he is likely to have higher expectations if he moved to Unai Emery's side:

“Weston McKennie is one of the more interesting names that’s going to appear in headlines over the course of this month because Juventus are open-minded about losing him.

“It would have to be on their terms, and even if you were looking to do a loan on this one, you would probably have to put an obligation in place and look to spend almost £20 million.

“I do think that Aston Villa would have an edge over Bournemouth in terms of a transfer like this because I think we have to understand that McKennie has very high expectations of where his career can get to.”

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-news-4/" title="Aston Villa latest news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Get it done

Villa should seriously be considering accelerating a move for McKennie given the competition that they are likely to face for his signature.

Hailed as a 'monster' in the air by football writer Wes Tucker, and a 'pressing machine' by journalist Chris Smith, the six-foot-one colossus ranks in the 90th percentile for non-penalty goals, 89th for touches, 87th for progressive passes received and 81st for blocks per game for all midfielders in Europe's top five leagues over the past year (FBRef), and at 24 years of age, has not yet reached his full potential.

Lauded for a 'sensational' performance for the USA against England at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, McKennie has shown on numerous occasions that he can perform on the big stage, and so it would be a real coup for Villa if they were able to sign him.