Aston Villa have 'as good a chance as anyone' in the Premier League to land Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi this window, transfer insider Dean Jones has informed GIVEMESPORT.

Villans boss Unai Emery is in the market for further additions in January and the 22-year-old has popped onto their radar following an impressive season for club and country.

Aston Villa Transfer News - Azzedine Ounahi

Lately, journalist Ciro Venerato has claimed on the Italian talk show Tg Sport that Aston Villa are interested in signing Angers midfielder Ounahi following a failed bid for Juventus star Weston McKennie, as transcribed in full by TuttoNapoli.

Venerato also claims that the president of Angers has recently travelled to England to meet with Villa officials, potentially giving them an advantage in the race for his signature.

Venerato said: "These are decisive days for the Moroccan midfielder. The president of Angers left for England yesterday [Monday] and it seems that he is talking to Aston Villa, who received a no from the Juventus player, [Weston] McKennie, two days ago, more than Leeds."

Napoli are also keen to take the Morocco international to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, however, are said to be 'pessimistic' about negotiations with his current employers.

What has Dean Jones said about Azzedine Ounahi?

Transfer insider Jones thinks that Aston Villa have 'as good a chance as anyone' at this moment in time to land the Angers ace, though wonders how keen the player would be to move to Villa Park in light of interest from elsewhere.

Jones told GMS: "There's just so much competition for him and it's hard to tell at the moment whether they are going to win the race. I mean, they've probably got as good a chance as anyone in England; it's just really a case of whether or not he definitely wants to come to the Premier League.

"At the moment, he certainly seems open to it, but I can't quite put my finger on whether he's just keeping his options open or whether he's genuinely interested in a move like Villa."

Would Ounahi be a good signing for Aston Villa?

Conceivably, Ounahi would be an exciting signing for Aston Villa that would help to freshen up the engine room as they look to climb the table in the second half of the season.

In 2022/23, Ounahi has made 15 appearances for his club side, being deployed as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder and even featuring on the right flank, showcasing his versatile nature as a player as per Transfermarkt.

Despite playing for a side that is currently rooted to the bottom of Ligue 1, WhoScored notes that the Angers midfielder has chalked up a pass success rate of 88.3% this term in the French top tier, demonstrating his ability to recycle possession productively.

Any prospective deal to bring Ounahi to Villa Park may not be cheap, however, as The Daily Mail claimed last year that he is valued at £39 million by Angers, which could signify that Aston Villa may have to pay a pretty penny to land the talented playmaker.