Aston Villa have ‘been offered’ the opportunity to sign Udinese winger Gerard Deulofeu this January, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has informed GiveMeSport.

The 28-year-old has put in several eye-catching performances for the Italian outfit over the last 18 months and could make a return to the Premier League as a result.

Aston Villa transfer news – Deulofeu

BirminghamLive recently claimed that Villa have enquired about Deulofeu’s availability ahead of making a potential move for him as new manager Unai Emery looks to strengthen his attacking options.

The four-cap Spain international joined Udinese on an initial loan deal back in 2020 following disappointing spells with both Everton and Watford.

Deulofeu’s current £22,000-per-week contract only has 18 months left to run, and he admitted that he ‘would like to take a leap’ when addressing speculation over his future last summer.

"At the moment, these are only rumours," he told AS. "I admit that I would like to take a leap, but everything has its process, and I am very happy at Udinese. I am 28 years old, and the best of my career is yet to come.”

What has Crook said about Deulofeu?

Villa are currently short of options out wide after offloading Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi, and Bertrand Traore on either permanent or temporary deals in the summer.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

And Crook has told GMS that there have been ‘talks’ held over the possibility of bringing Deulofeu to Villa Park this winter.

He said: “I know that they've been offered the chance to sign Deulofeu, whether there's an appetite to do so, I'm not 100% Sure. But certainly, talks have been held about that.”

How good is Deulofeu?

Deulofeu enjoyed one of the most productive campaigns in his senior career last term, registering 13 goals and five assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.

The creative talent has shown that was no fluke this time around as well, finding the back of the net on three occasions in 17 outings, taking his senior club tally up to 52 strikes, while also providing seven assists for his teammates.

As per FBref, Deulofeu has also ranked in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions and progressive passes, 98th for expected assists, 92nd for touches in the attacking penalty area, and 90th for completed dribbles amongst his positional peers over the last year.

It’s possible that Deulofeu would be able to add a significant threat to Villa’s forward line, therefore, but only time will tell if Emery decides to make a formal approach for him.