Aston Villa's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were given a huge boost as they beat Arsenal 2-0 away from home in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Villans are now sitting fourth in the division and are on course to qualify for Europe's premier cup competition, whilst they are still competing to win the Europa Conference League this season.
Whilst there is still plenty to play for domestically and in Europe before the end of the current campaign, Monchi and Unai Emery already have one eye on the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Villa duo are looking at players to bolster the squad, possibly with Champions League football in mind, and one star is said to be tempted by a move to the club.
£34m star linked with Aston Villa move
According to the printed edition of Il Mattino, via Calcio Napoli 24, Aston Villa are interested in a summer swoop for Napoli right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
The report claims that the Villans are keen to bring the Italy international over to England ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and that their interest represents an 'important offer' to the defender, as Emery looks to improve his defence.
It states that the 30-year-old ace, who was linked with a move to Newcastle United last year, is considering his future in Naples and the prospect of a move to the Premier League is tempting him at this moment in time.
Il Mattino reports that Di Lorenzo is thinking very carefully about his future, with Villa now hoping to convince him to make the switch to the English top flight this summer.
Earlier this week, FCInterNews reported that Napoli are set to demand a sizeable fee of €40m (£34m) for the Villans target, and it remains to be seen whether or not Monchi and Emery are prepared to meet that figure.
Why Aston Villa should sign Giovanni Di Lorenzo
The experienced star has been a fantastic performer for the Italian giants in the Serie A this season and could add an attacking threat to Villa's side down the right flank.
FBref lists Paris Saint-Germain dynamo Achraf Hakimi, who is a reported target for Manchester City this summer, as one of the most similar players to Di Lorenzo across the Men's Big 5 Leagues over the last 365 days, and that is due to their respective quality in the final third.
Appearances
37
22
26
Assists
4
4
1
Big chances created
6
6
6
Key passes per game
1.3
1.6
0.4
Expected Assists
4.36
3.79
2.3
As you can see in the table above, Di Lorenzo and Hakimi have both outperformed current Villa right-back Matty Cash when it comes to creating chances for teammates from a full-back position.
In fact, the Napoli star ranks within the top 7% of full-backs in the Men's Top 5 Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for shot-creating actions (3.30) per 90, whilst the PSG speedster ranks in the top 3% with 3.95 per 90 – illustrating their similarities on the pitch.
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These statistics suggest that the £34m-rated ace would improve Emery's attack by adding a creative threat from right-back, which is why Villa should look to get a deal over the line for the Italian whiz, who is seemingly tempted by the move.