Report: Aston Villa eyeing £9m midfielder Julian Alvarez has deemed a ‘great player’

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Aston Villa have reportedly set their sights on Argentina international midfielder Manuel Lanzini.

ESPN, via Bolavip and Sport Witness, has claimed that the Villans are eyeing the West Ham playmaker.

Villa have enjoyed an outstanding season under Unai Emery and could yet seal a Europa Conference League spot.

The Villans may now look to bolster their ranks in the summer transfer window and really kick on.

As per the report, Villa are one of the two teams to have ‘initiated contact’ with Lanzini’s representatives.

The £9million ace’s West Ham contract expires soon, though the club have an option to extend by two more years.

However, ESPN claims Lanzini has already ‘said goodbye’ to the club and will depart at the end of the season.

Lanzini’s performances for West Ham, the fact they already have Argentines in their squad and his ‘knowledge of the Premier League’ all speak in favour of a Villa approach.

However, they are not the only ones to make a ‘tempting’ offer. Napoli are apparently in pursuit too.

They could offer him the chance to not only defend the Serie A title but also compete in the Champions League.

Big praise for Aston Villa target

Lanzini is a quality player who has over 200 competitive West Ham appearances to his name.

This season, he has had to make do with a place on the bench for the most part.

Nonetheless, Lanzini has still clocked up 22 appearances, including nine in the Conference League.

The 30-year-old has also earned praise from some outstanding peers.

Teammate Vladimir Coufal recently said Lanzini is one of the best players he’s featured alongside.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez says the reported Villa target is a “great player”.

And Manchester United icon Paul Scholes labelled him a “good footballer”.

All in all, he seems like a good shout for a Villa side looking to build on a great 2022-23 campaign.