Aston Villa will "continue to pursue" Juventus and Italy star Federico Chiesa in the summer window as the Midlands club look to make further efforts to challenge the Premier League big six, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.
Aston Villa transfer news – what's the latest on Federico Chiesa?
It has been a whirlwind ten months since Unai Emery took charge of Villa, from a dogged relegation fight to a completely different fight entirely, one for European football; it would be an understatement to say that the Spaniard has done an exceptional job at Villa Park thus far.
The uptick in form and glamour that has come with one of Europe's most famous managers being at the helm has also led to more prestigious names being linked with the club.
Earlier this month saw the signing of Leicester City's Youri Tielemans, a player that only a year ago was heavily touted for a move to Arsenal.
The newest name, however, is yet another step up in quality, Juventus star and Italian international Chiesa.
BirminghamLive have confirmed that previous reports suggesting that the West Midlands outfit were targeting the 5 foot 9 dynamo were, in fact, accurate, and he was high on Emery's wish list.
A stumbling block for a deal, however, might be the price that the Turin club want for their exciting winger, with FootballTransfers reporting it to be in the region of £51m, which would smash Villa's previous transfer record of £38m for Emiliano Buendia.
What has Dean Jones said about Chiesa to Aston Villa?
Jones was straight to the point regarding the Villain's pursuit of the Juventus wideman, explaining that he was exactly the kind of high-profile player the club were after.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "So I think that that is definitely a high-profile player, which I would expect Aston Villa to continue to pursue."
How good is Federico Chiesa?
This comes alongside Aston Villa already seemingly set to secure the big signing of Villareal star Pau Torres.
It was a mixed year in the famous Black and White of the Bianconeri for Chiesa last season, with WhoScored giving him an average rating of 6.59 across his 21 Serie A appearances.
He played well while on the pitch, but due to a series of injuries and fitness issues, he only started six league matches over the course of the season, appearing as a substitute in the other 15.
Despite the injury problems he has faced over the last year or so, his underlying numbers are still brilliant and indicate just how good he could be for Emery should he be able to play a season free of them.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Chiesa is in the top 4% for assists, top 13% for tackles, top 15% for progressive carries, top 16% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for expected assists, all per 90.
With numbers like that, it's not hard to see why broadcaster Roger Bennett labelled the dazzling winger a "wizard" following one of his performances at Euro 2020, a competition he played a huge role in helping Italy win.
If Emery and Villa can convince Chiesa, who has been hailed as a "beautiful" player, that the project being built in the West Midlands is one he wants to be a part of, the top six could quickly become the top seven.