Aston Villa will want to strike whilst the iron is hot when it comes to incomings through the door, knowing that their newly attained status as a Champions League club will make the outfit an even more attractive proposition to join.
Unai Emery's reputation as a successful manager away from Villa – and with the Villans now – will also make many a talent eager to join the West Midlands club ahead of their upcoming European adventure, with Ross Barkley just one name tipped to pull on a claret and blue jersey ahead of next season already.
More and more names will be churned out from the rumour mill as the drama of the off-season intensifies, including one defender potentially leaving Italy behind for a new challenge in the Premier League with Emery's men.
Villa looking at Serie A star
A recent report from FC Inter News has linked the new-found Champions League titans with a move for Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries, who could now want out of Inter Milan with the Serie A campaign over and done with.
Dumfries has helped Simeone Inzaghi's side romp home to the division title this season, beating their bitter rivals AC Milan to the Scudetto convincingly, with the Dutchman picking up four goals and six assists from 35 games as an expansive and exciting full-back.
How Dumfries compares to Matty Cash
Rock solid in his defensive duties with 15 clean sheets tallied up, the 28-year-old could be keen to test himself in the Premier League now having picked up various accolades across a successful spell wearing the blue and black of Inter.
Dumfries won't join the Villa ranks on a cheap deal, however, with a hefty £26m price-tag put above his head by his current employers, but it could be a deal worth pursuing if Emery wants to improve and bolster in the right-back spot away from Matty Cash.
Stat – per 90 mins
Dumfries
Cash
Non-penalty goals
0.17
0.08
Shots total
1.25
1.33
Assists
0.21
0.08
Shot-creating actions
2.38
1.77
Progressive passes
2.50
3.59
Progressive carries
2.67
2.54
Successful take-ons
0.79
0.48
Progressive passes received
7.30
4.07
Stats by FBRef
Bettering Cash in many key aspects of their respective attacking games as forward-thinking full-backs, as can be seen above, alongside tasting Champions League football already this season with Inter to add more nous and experience to the Villa troops, Emery could finally have a settled right-back if Dumfries enters through the door.
This would allow for Ezri Konsa to also stick it out in his more familiar centre-back spot over a full season instead of having to fill in at right-back, which the England international had to do at points last season with Cash in and out of the XI.
Konsa and Dumfries as a partnership
Konsa and Dumfries could form an intimidating duo at the back for Emery's side next season, with the 26-year-old Villa defender formidable throughout the lively campaign just gone.
Equally as competent as his potential new Dutch teammate on the ball, with an impressive 92% pass accuracy managed per 90 minutes across the full season, the ex-Charlton Athletic man also excelled in his brave defensive duties with 4.8 duels won on average.
Also scoring this unique chipped goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the campaign, when advancing forward from the back, the 26-year-old will just pray he can star making the huge step-up to the Champions League having lined up in the Europa Conference League recently.
Dumfries could be that little sprinkling of quality Villa need to adjust unfazed to the elite competition, therefore, having previously been described as a "monster" by football journalist Alan Rzepa for his bulldozing nature as a full-throttle defender.
Cash could well feel harshly treated, but Emery and Co would be fools not to go after Dumfries, as the club aim to rise to even higher levels on the European stage away from domestic success.
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