Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, although the Villans could swerve a disaster in opting for a different target.

Unai Emery and Monchi have paired up in the Midlands in a bid to bolster the squad at Villa Park ahead of their European journey in the 2023/24 campaign.

With Youri Tielemans already signed, the Spanish duo could revamp the midfield at Villa this summer, however the former Sevilla sporting director could face his first mistake in pursuing the United States international.

What is Weston McKennie’s market value?

As reported last week by Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Villa have emerged as one of the clubs interested in Juventus midfielder McKennie, who has returned to Turin after a disastrous loan at Leeds United.

Valued by FootballTransfers around £20m, the Midlands club could facilitate a shot at redemption for the American, after suffering relegation at Elland Road last term.

Should Aston Villa sign Weston McKennie?

Captured by Leeds in January on a loan deal from Juve, McKennie had the chance to assert his talents in the Premier League in the bid to get the Whites further up the table and away from the drop zone.

Fast-forward to May and Leeds suffered relegation on the final day of the season, leaving McKennie ready to return to Italy in a loan spell that was disappointing for all parties involved.

Lauded as a “monster” by journalist Wes Rucker, those in Yorkshire were likely to have been initially excited by McKennie’s arrival in receiving a player that had been valued by the Italian giants and had experience on the European stage.

Unfortunately, the Elland Road faithful only captured glimpses of the midfielder’s true ability, with him being branded as “very poor” by journalist Dean Jones via GIVEMESPORT, as well as looking “lazy” and “slow” at times due to his playing style – as per Jones.

One of the most important attributes to possess as a midfielder at the highest level is an assured passing ability, an area that the one-time Schalke man lacked in the Premier League.

As per FBref, the 24-year-old averaged just 39.33 attempted passes per 90 last season for Leeds, completing a disastrous 29.56 in the middle of the park and losing possession an average of 11.3 times per game.

For Villa, Monchi should opt against gambling with a player that has already had a shot at the Premier League and failed miserably – having been "out of his depth" last term according to pundit Jon Newsome – as there is far more suitable talent on show at Villa Park.

Douglas Luiz’s averages over the season could pose as a lesson in the art of midfield work for the 44-cap international, with the Brazilian completing an average of 45.94 passes per 90, to highlight how poor McKennie’s distribution was at Elland Road.

While his passing was poor, the Juventus midfielder’s defensive contribution lacked in comparison to Villa’s ace also, averaging 1.88 tackles per 90 to Luiz’s 2.24, winning just 0.81 tackles to the 25-year-old’s 1.29 per 90, via FBref.

Monchi could opt to search for players more suited to the English top division than the Texas-born dud – who failed to live up to high expectations at Elland Road – with more than adequate midfield options already available at Villa Park.