According to The Athletic, Aston Villa are understood to be among the sides monitoring West Brom maestro Matheus Pereira.
The 24-year-old has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, after starring for the Baggies in the Championship last season.
Pereira has scored nine goals in 29 Premier League games this season, while also recording five assists.
For a side languishing in 19th, that is an excellent amount of goal involvements.
If Dean Smith was to pinch the best player from Aston Villa’s rivals, it would go down superbly well at Villa Park.
Pereira only cost the Baggies £9 million when they turned his loan from Sporting Lisbon into a permanent deal over the summer.
That has proven to be a bargain. The Athletic do not mention a fee, although we presume West Brom would hope to make three times the amount they paid for Pereira.
One man who loves watching the Brazilian play is Micah Richards.
The former Aston Villa defender called Pereira a ‘delight to watch’ back in September, after he tore Chelsea apart at the Hawthorns.
As quoted by Birmingham Live, Richards said: “I watched him a lot in the Championship last season, wondering if he can do it in the Premier League, and he showed me in the last couple of games that he definitely can. He’s just an absolute delight to watch.”
Pereira also has plenty of time to get even better, as he’s only 24.
It really would be a brilliant signing for Aston Villa.
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