6 players who could sign for Aston Villa in January and 5 who probably will not - gallery

Aston Villa transfer news updates on Marcus Thuram, Tammy Abraham, Yeremy Pino and Pau Torres - as the likeliest January window signings are ranked.

With the January transfer window now fast approaching, there are plenty of Aston Villa transfer rumours swirling about. From attacking players who better fit new manager Unai Emery’s preferred system to midfield reinforcements and additions to defensive depth, the list of individuals being linked is getting longer and longer.

As is the nature of appointing a fresh head coach just two months before a window, it is likely Emery will be looking to add personnel to his squad. The former Arsenal boss has already had the chance to briefly assess the current crop, as he led the Villans out on the touchline for three fixtures, two in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup.

Thanks to goals from the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey, Villa recorded two successive league victories before the break. In the cup, meanwhile, Manchester United managed a narrow victory. Emery now has the opportunity to work with his new colleagues further as the World Cup plays out in Qatar - and he should get a good idea of which areas need strengthening most.

For context, the Spaniard typically likes to deploy a back-four formation with two deep-lying midfielders and two advanced full-backs. His sides tend to use a high-intensity counter-press with much of the threat coming from a physical and pacy striker and two tricky inside forwards.

With that in mind, here are the six players linked we think are the likeliest to sign for Villa in January, and the five that are the least likely - with each handed either a ‘could’ or ‘probably not’ classification.

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