Aston Villa 'plot' exciting £40m January move for highly rated wonderkid with top potential

Aston Villa have been one of the surprise packages in the Premier League this term and Unai Emery’s men have propelled themselves into an unlikely title push after back to back home victories over Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Villains have aspirations of returning to the top four for the first time since 1996 in a season which also marked the club’s last major cup triumph.

Emery’s team has proven that it can compete against the very best teams in the division this season but the need for further squad depth remains apparent as the club prepares to compete in the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League.

The Spaniard, who has previously tasted success in European competitions on four separate occasions, will undoubtedly take the tournament seriously but will hope that the added demands do not have a negative impact on his club’s league form.

Emery is keen to add further talent to his midfield to create a smoother rotation process and one prodigy who is believed to have caught his eye is teenager Oscar Gloukh.

Gloukh is a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who currently plays his football for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria’s top-flight. The youngster has already represented his national team on 13 occasions and has netted three goals.

The midfielder started his career at Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel’s top-flight and emerged as one of the team’s star player at just 17.

His talents quickly caught the attention of Red Bull Salzburg who have previously had the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Brenden Aaronson on their books.

Gloukh won the Austrian Bundesliga in his first season with Salzburg and has impressed in the Champions League this season with two goals, despite their exit in the group stage.

Overall he has registered eight goals and seven assists in 41 appearances for the team and is viewed as a pivotal member of the lineup.

Football Insider explains that Red Bull Salzburg are keen to keep the player to boost their title chances, although their early Champions League exit has increased the chance of his departure.

Aston Villa are believed to be the frontrunners for his signature and claims from the outlet suggest that the West Midlands side are willing to splash out around £40-£50m to make the deal happen.