Aston Villa have shown 'a level of interest' in Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi as Unai Emery seeks reinforcements this window, transfer insider Dean Jones has informed GiveMeSport.

It has been a busy January for the Clarets so far, with both Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran already having put pen to paper at Villa Park.

Aston Villa Transfer News - Matteo Guendouzi

Last week, The Daily Mail reported that Aston Villa had made a bid to bring Guendouzi to the Premier League just six months after he departed Arsenal permanently to move to Marseille.

Aston Villa boss Emery is said to be a 'huge admirer' of the 23-year-old, having previously worked with him when he was in charge of the Gunners. Nevertheless, his current employers are reluctant to lose his services following an impressive string of performances from the former Lorient ace in 2022/23.

Guendouzi is believed to be valued at around £26.5 million by Marseille chiefs and a sizeable bid could tempt the Ligue 1 giants to sell him begrudgingly, with Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi potentially being lined up as a replacement. 

The versatile Guendouzi earned himself a call-up to the France squad for the 2022 World Cup, going on to make one appearance for Les Blues against Tunisia in the group stage.

What has Dean Jones said about the Guendouzi situation?

Transfer insider Jones has stated that Aston Villa has 'a level of interest' in bringing Guendouzi to the Premier League again, though has heard 'mixed signals' over the possibility of a deal being completed.

Jones told GMS: "I think it's a straightforward one; yeah, there's a level of interest in this but I'm cautious, to be honest, about the probability of it actually being followed through and it becoming a done deal.

"Yeah, I'm getting very mixed signals on it to be honest."

Would Guendouzi be a good fit for Aston Villa this window?

Familiarity can work well in football and it certainly seems like Emery is keen to reunite with his former player Guendouzi at Villa Park. Fans of the Premier League will have mixed opinions about his spell at Arsenal, however; it is undeniable that the 23-year-old is a talented player that can shine in the right environment.

The Poissy-born midfielder has made 24 appearances for Marseille in all competitions across 2022/23, registering three goals and four assists, as per Transfermarkt. Two of his strikes came in the Champions League group stage against Sporting Lisbon and Eintracht Frankfurt, showing that he can churn out performances on the elite stage.

WhoScored has noted that the Frenchman has circulated possession well this campaign, maintaining a pass success rate of 88.1% in Ligue 1 from 17 outings. Guendouzi has predominantly been used in an advanced midfield role for his current employers while also featured on the left flank for France in their World Cup match against Tunisia.

Aston Villa will hope to rise into the top half of the Premier League in the second half of the season and Guendouzi could undoubtedly help to freshen up the engine room when needed for the Villans.