Aston Villa transfer latest: Who could follow Philippe Coutinho to Villa Park this January?

It’s proving to be one of the most significant transfer windows in Aston Villa’s history, with the calibre of player they’re able to attract seemingly sky high with arrival of Steven Gerrard.

In the summer, the club lost their main man, Jack Grealish, who he signed for Manchester City and became the first British player to be transferred for £100 million.

The Villains spent their money rather wisely, picking up Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey to reinforce their attack.

That was thought to be the big, dream window. But so far, Villa could yet eclipse it by the end of the month.

So far, they have signed former Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho, a stellar signing and massive statement of their intent to the Premier League, while Everton left-back Lucas Digne is also on the brink of moving to the Midlands, for a fee set to be around £25 million.

The spending is unlikely to stop there, as Villa are also showing interest in Liverpool and Manchester United target Yves Bissouma, who has impressed at Brighton in recent years.

The hunt for a goalkeeper is also on, as the club seek sufficient back up to Emiliano Martinez, with West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph linked with a move away from east London.

It has been suggested that Villa are after a central midfielder in this window, due to the injury blow suffered to Marvelous Nakamba, and it is thought that Bissouma would not provide cover for the injured midfielder, but become a key staple of the midfield.

Nakamba was due to represent Zimbabwe at AFCON 2022, but was ruled out with a knee injury for around four months just prior to Christmas.

Bissouma would also be a statement signing, proving they can secure their rivals’ key assets, and see off fellow suitors for key targets, as they did with Digne and Coutinho - the Brazilian was reportedly attracting interest from both Arsenal and Spurs, while Digne was also reportedly the subject of interest from both Newcastle and Chelsea, the latter of which continue to seek a short-term replacement for the injured Ben Chilwell.

Bissouma is currently representing Mali in Cameroon, and will therefore be unavailable until the end of the month.

It seems as though Brighton may look to cash in on the midfielder, as his contract expires in 18 months, and there appears to be no sign that the Mali international will pen a new deal.

After Brighton’s FA Cup third round win over West Brom, manager Graham Potter said there has been no contact from other clubs for Bissouma, despite the midfielder being heavily linked with Liverpool recently. However, Villa were pursuing other players, and with them secured, they could now switch their attention to the Brighton man.

The only snag in the deal could be Brighton’s valuation of Bissouma, which is reportedly around the £50 million mark.

To land, Coutinho, Digne, Bissouma, Randolph would represent a sensational window for Villa, and a real sign of the pulling power the club possesses.