Aston Villa are reported to be remaining confident in their speculated pursuit of Atletico Madrid sensation Joao Felix.

Unai Emery and Monchi are hoping to bolster Villa Park with star names ahead of the highly anticipated 2023/24 campaign, having already added Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans to the squad.

Now, the Midlands club could eye an audacious swoop, in a player that transfer insider Dean Jones believes could be “one of the best players” that the Villans’ have had.

Could Aston Villa sign Joao Felix?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones described the potential pursuit of the Portuguese gem as having the capacity to be an “unbelievable coup” stating that “there is a fine line as to whether it is going to be possible”.

As reported by various Spanish outlets, Newcastle, Manchester United and Villa are keen on the forward, who could cost in the region of £80m.

Speculated to be taking home around £250k-per-week at Atletico, the Villans may need to think about how they can find an agreement in personal terms with the 23-year-old.

Jones backed the club to make their quest for the forward seriously should all terms be considered, saying:

“If there is scope for a deal then yeah, I think they would go for something like this seriously."

How good is Joao Felix?

Hailed as a “phenomenon” by Portuguese legend Paulo Futre, the 23-year-old could be the added star power that differentiates Villa from a club dreaming of highs under Emery, to a side making their ambitions a reality.

The youngster is a name the Premier League is more familiar with this year, after spending a half-season loan at Chelsea.

Despite only scoring four goals during his time with the Blues, the forward showcased that he has the potential to thrive in England, putting the environment and form at Stamford Bridge aside.

For Villa, the introduction of the Portuguese gem could see a fundamental upgrade in attack for Emery's side, in a young player that has already dominated on the biggest stages in Europe.

Contributing to 107 goals in 238 record career appearances, via Transfermarkt, Felix has struck hot among the best, maintaining his authority in the attacks of Benfica, Atletico and Chelsea in what are still the early stages of his journey.

Such numbers are extremely impressive, especially when comparing those to Villa’s current line-leader Ollie Watkins, who has netted 118 goals in his career so far, with just 40 of which coming in the top division.

While the Englishman has been dazzling at Villa Park, the 27-year-old could see the potential successor to his throne in the Midlands arrive this summer, should Felix opt to join Emery’s project.

Linked to Lionel Messi based on his statistics over the past year, the 23-year-old ranked in the top 4% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of his average shots per 90, recording 4.04 per 90, via FBref.

The liveliness of Felix is incomparable to that of Watkins, who despite being a reliable scorer for Villa, fell short of the Viseu-born star in such areas, averaging 2.42 total shots per 90, highlighting the threat of the reported target.

Emery could switch up the calibre of players in his squad this summer, with the idea of signing the former Chelsea loanee posing to be a marquee acquisition should the Spaniard get the deal over the line.