Report: Aston Villa join Man United in race to sign 'pure quality' England international

Aston Villa are continuing to go from strength to strength under Unai Emery’s stewardship.

Unai Emery has established Aston Villa as a Champions League club and they look well-placed to once again challenge for the top four this season.

They recruited well in the summer, with Amadou Onana a notable example of their excellent transfer business.

Onana was linked to Arsenal but Villa managed to lure him to the West Midlands and now he’s become a key figure under Emery.

Now, it has just come to light, that they have already identified a transfer target ahead of the January window to further bolster their midfield ranks.

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Aston Villa interested in Angel Gomes

According to GiveMeSport, Aston Villa are showing an interest in Lille midfielder Angel Gomes.

TBR Football previously reported that Gomes is expected to leave Lille on a free transfer next summer, with Tottenham Hotspur among the clubs keeping close tabs.

Villa are the latest Premier League club to join the race for his signature after his impressive displays in Ligue 1 and with England.

It’s claimed his former club Manchester United are also looking at bringing him back to the Premier League having scouted him over the last few weeks.

So evidently, Villa will have to fend off stiff competition if they’re to sign Gomes, who has been labelled ‘pure quality’ by Roy Keane, per the Daily Mail.

Gomes statistics

Gomes’ underlying FBref data makes for very impressive reading.

The 24-year-old ranks in the top five per cent for assists per 90 compared to his positional peers across Europe, evincing his terrific playmaking abilities from deep.

Further, he sits in the top 14 per cent for progressive passes, only amplifying how forward-thinking he is as a midfielder.

The data suggests Gomes is of a similar profile to Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, which is high praise indeed.