Since taking charge of Aston Villa in late 2022, Unai Emery has turned a club once battling inconsistency into a side with European pedigree that supporters had not seen consistently since the 2007-2010 period when Villa were a regular fixture in the UEFA competitions.
The Spanish coach delivered European qualification in each of his three completed seasons.
This season began with concern as Villa failed to score a single goal in competitive action until the middle of August.
Those performances created early fears that the club might endure a campaign similar to their struggles in the 2015/16 relegation season.
But Unai Emery side has stitched together four wins in the last five matches across the Premier League and Europa League.
The resurgence has energized Villa Park but gaps remain in creativity with Harvey Elliott still adapting and Morgan Rogers unable to reproduce last year’s breakout form.
Those things have left Villa increasingly attentive to attacking reinforcements in the upcoming January window.
Aston Villa monitoring PSG star Lee Kang-in
According to Fichajes, Aston Villa are closely monitoring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, who despite being trusted by Luis Enrique has not secured a consistent starting role for the reigning European champions.
The 24-year-old South Korean international, described as a player of massive potential due to his ability to break defensive lines and dictate play, is reportedly open to a move that would offer him greater influence.