Aston Villa are searching for a goalkeeper ahead of their first season back in the Premier League, with Mohamed El Shenawy the latest stopper they are interested in, according to Read Aston Villa.

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Arsenal are considering him as a backup option, with the expected fee to be paid by whoever signs the 'keeper being £2.5 million.

Villa will be hoping the prospect of regular first-team football will be enough to persuade the 30-year-old he should move to Villa Park.

According to Birmingham Live, Dean Smith was in attendance at the African Cup of Nations this summer - he would have been impressed by what he saw of El Shenawy during the tournament.

In the four games the Egyptian played, he only conceded one goal, while he was also named Man of the Match in a 2-0 win against Uganda, having made five saves throughout the game (via WhoScored).

At club level, he played 30 matches across the Egyptian Premier League and CAF Champions League, conceding just 18 goals and keeping 17 clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).

While it is very unlikely he would be able to get near these numbers in a Villa shirt, due to the strength of the Premier League compared to its Egyptian counterpart, it is surely highly encouraging to have a goalkeeper who has become accustomed to keeping the ball out of the net.

It can be argued it would be a risk to bring in El Shenawy, especially if he was to be the only acquisition in goal, due to the fact he has never played in a major league before.

Villa haven't been afraid to take that risk this summer though, having signed Wesley from the Belgian Jupiler Pro League among other names from outside the top divisions.

This could see them get great value, which would be the case should El Shenawy go on to be a success at Villa Park.

Aston Villa fans, should Smith take a punt on El Shenawy this summer? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!