Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has admitted that he is keen to sign Villarreal defender Juan Foyth.
With Diego Carlos having left for Fenerbahce earlier in the January transfer window, Emery had already been in the market for a new centre-back.
However, that search has now become more urgent after Tyrone Mings suffered what appeared to be a knee injury during Sunday's 1-1 draw against West Ham United.
With the England international having missed the entirety of last season with an ACL injury, no risks will be taken on him anytime soon.
Recent reports had suggested that Emery had already turned his attention to trying to bring Foyth - a former Tottenham Hotspur player - back to the Premier League.
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Emery talks up Foyth interest
The topic of the Argentina international came up during Emery's post-match media duties after the game on Sunday, the Spaniard acknowledging his admiration for a player who he has previously worked with at Villarreal.
As quoted by The Sun, Emery said: "Juan is one player that can unite and play with the qualities and the performance we want to add."
Foyth has spent the last three-and-a-half years in the colours of the Yellow Submarine, including while Emery was in charge up until his exit in October 2022.
Emery was the man who signed Foyth from Spurs and he has since gone on to make 120 appearances in all competitions, contributing four goals and six assists.
This season, though, the 27-year-old has only made four appearances in La Liga, all coming between December 18 and January 20. He was left out of the squad to face Atletico Madrid over the weekend.
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Is Foyth the ideal addition?
With just a week remaining of the transfer market, Emery is seemingly prepared to focus on familiar faces to fill gaps that have appeared.
Foyth's stock has improved since leaving Spurs for Villarreal, yet this is a player who is yet to play more than 25 times in a single domestic campaign throughout his career.
That will be of concern when Villa are also bidding to go deep in the FA Cup and Champions League over the coming months, but his versatility and potential modest asking price would work in Villa's favour.
As it stands, Villa have just one fit central defender in Ezri Konsa, and Emery may have to target two players with lower valuations than spend £15m to £20m on just one target.
Darren Plant
