Aston Villa could lose key midfielder in January - but they have a replacement in mind

The January transfer window is now just a few short weeks away. Premier League teams will be looking to give their squads a shakeup - and Unai Emery's Aston Villa are no exception to this. Who will they look to bring in and who will depart Villa Park in the winter?

One of Villa's players in reportedly in the crosshairs of a fellow Premier League outfit. He is thought to be out of favour at the club, having become a lesser-spotted member of the matchday squad. On top of this, one of their star players could depart the club in January, but the Villans have a replacement in mind should this occur.

Everton interested in Leandro Dendoncker

Everton are eyeing up the possibility of snapping up Leandro Dendoncker in January, as they look to sign a defensive midfielder in the upcoming transfer window. Dendoncker has made just eight appearances for Villa across all competitions this season and has yet to score a goal or register an assist.

This is according to a report from Football Insider. He is thought to be out of favour at Villa - as such, letting him go, even to a rival club in the Premier League, seems to make a lot of sense. He was close to moving to Fenerbahce in the summer, but a transfer ultimately failed to materialise.

Villa could sign Salis Abdul Samed to replace key player

Douglas Luiz is in the sights of several top clubs, such as Arsenal and Liverpool - there is a real possibility that he could leave in January. Emery is aware of this and has a replacement in mind - should Luiz leave the club, they will attempt to sign Lens' Salis Abdul Samed, according to a report from TEAMtalk.

Abdul Samed has made 18 appearances for Lens this season across all competitions. He has also gained experience in the Champions League, having played in all of their games in that competition.