Aston Villa could convince Udinese winger Gerard Deulofeu on a move to Villa Park because of the opportunity he would have to work with head coach Unai Emery, journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested to GiveMeSport.

The four-cap Spain international has past experience of Premier League football with Everton and Watford.

GiveMeSport Transfer Update

Aston Villa transfer news – Gerard Deulofeu

According to BirminghamLive, Emery would like to add one more forward to his squad at Villa Park and the club have enquired about the potential availability of fellow Spaniard Deulofeu this month.

The same publication also says that failed summer transfer target Ismaïla Sarr is under consideration again, with others reporting the West Midlands side have had a bid rejected for the Senegal international, just a few months after his move to the club collapsed.

Deulofeu, who has been dubbed an “artist” by the OptaPaolo Twitter account, has been plying his trade in Serie A with Udinese since his initial loan move in the summer window of 2020 before a permanent deal of £15m was struck with Watford in January 2021.

When linked with a move to West Ham United in the summer, journalist Paul Brown told GiveMeSport that the 52-goal star would offer David Moyes’ side “something different” heading into the 2022/23 campaign, but a move ultimately never prevailed.

But O’Rourke believes that Deulofeu could be convinced on a move back to England and wouldn’t take long to re-adapt to the rigour of the Premier League.

What has O’Rourke said about Aston Villa and Deulofeu?

O’Rourke told GiveMeSport: “It does seem like he is looking at wide men and Deulofeu could be a good fit if he is available in this transfer window.

“Due to his previous Premier League experience, it shouldn't take them too long to get back into the swing of things in the top flight.

“I think Deulofeu would definitely be interested in working with somebody like Unai Emery, who has already made such a big impact at Aston Villa during this short time there.”

How has Deulofeu performed at Udinese?

Deulofeu has made 67 appearances during his time at Udinese, scoring 18 goals and providing 14 assists according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that his output is solid if unspectacular.

That comes after the 28-year-old made 127 appearances across his time in the Premier League, scoring 20 goals and providing 24 assists, suggesting that he could add a different dynamic to Emery’s attack in the second half of the campaign.

Therefore, if Villa can snap up Deulofeu’s signature for a reasonable price this winter, the West Midlands giants may feel that he could prove to be a solid forward option for the club in the short-term future.

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