Aston Villa have joined the race to sign an overseas defender who could replace Clement Lenglet in January, according to a fresh report.

Lenglet expected to leave Villa

Over the summer, Lenglet put pen to paper on a season-long loan from Barcelona, but with no option or obligation to buy included within the agreement, and there’s even a chance that he could be returning to his parent club early.

The Midlands outfit are set to hold talks with the centre-back’s representatives in order to discuss terminating his deal, and with AC Milan interested in securing his services should that happen, there’s a strong possibility that he will be heading for the exit door.

With NSWE, Monchi and Unai Emery possibly having to enter the market to search for his successor, Torino’s Alessandro Buongiorno has been identified as a target having worked his way up through his club’s academy to become a regular feature of their first-team (Transfermarkt – Buongiorno statistics).

The Italy international has firmly established himself as Ivan Juric’s overall best-performing player this season with a match rating of 7.15 (WhoScored – Torino statistics), and the 24-year-old’s impressive form has seemingly caught the eye of the hierarchy in the Midlands.

Villa interested in Buongiorno

According to Italian outlet Roma Metropolitan Magazine (via CaughtOffside), Aston Villa are in the running to sign Buongiorno ahead of January.

Premier League rivals West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in the defender, but he won’t come cheap. Torino reportedly value their colossus at over €30m (£25m), though it remains to be seen whether this is a price that any of his admirers would be willing to pay.

Buongiorno is a “dominant” young defender

Standing at 6 foot 2, Buongiorno provides a real physical presence at the heart of a backline with his height which he’s proven so far this season, as he’s currently averaging 3.8 clearances, 2.9 aerial wins and 2.5 tackles per game in the Serie A (WhoScored – Buongiorno statistics).

The Turin native is also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch having clocked up 16 involvements, eight goals and the same number of assists, since the start of his career, with his ability to get involved both defensively and offensively making him a well-rounded player.

Emery’s left-footed target is even a versatile operator having previously been deployed as a left-back and slightly higher up on the left side of the midfield alongside his usual role, so the fact that he is able to provide cover in other areas outside of his own will be another attractive attribute to the manager.

As dubbed by journalist Josh Bunting, Buongiorno is a “dominant” centre-back when it comes to winning his individual battles, and while he could be a fantastic recruit for Aston Villa, it sounds like they are set to face plenty of stiff competition to get him to sign on the dotted line in January.