It wasn't so long ago that the thought of Aston Villa being linked with a player of Federico Chiesa's stature would have sparked confusion, as they battled to reach mid-table mediocrity under Steven Gerrard.
Since Unai Emery's arrival, however, the Midlands club have endured an unexpected rise, securing a place in the Europa Conference League ahead of next season in just half a campaign under the former Villarreal boss.
Such is the financial power of the Premier League, too, a move for Chiesa no longer seems like a pipe dream for Villa, especially given Juventus' financial difficulties, culminating in their failure to qualify for the Champions League last season due to a point deduction.
According to BirminghamLive, Villa are targeting a move for the Juventus man this summer, and, If Emery did manage to secure the signing, then he would have himself an upgrade on Leon Bailey, believes transfer insider Dean Jones.
Jones told Football FanCast: “Chiesa is much better than Leon Bailey, I know that much. He’s such a talented player, he’s so exciting on the ball. And he can make a difference in big matches, it’s an extremely frustrating time in Italy, and that frustration looks like it’s continuing into the summer.”
How good is Federico Chiesa?
Chiesa first impressed many fans through his performances at Euro 2020, as Italy beat England on penalties to secure the trophy at Wembley. Since then, though, he has been forced to battle back from an ACL injury, before finally starting to get back on track last season.
In a struggling Juventus side, the winger scored four goals and made a further six for 10 goal involvements in 33 appearances in all competitions. Only really getting an injury-free run in the side in April, those numbers show a player on his way to getting back to his best form.
In the season prior to his injury, the 2020/21 campaign, the 25-year-old scored 15 goals and made a further 11 in an incredible campaign. It is clear that, at his injury-free best, Chiesa is one of the best players in Italy.
When compared at his best to Bailey last season, there's only one winner, as per FBref. Chiesa made 20 more progressive carries, 59 more progressive passes, and enjoyed a better take-on success than the current Villa man. Welcoming the Italian into the side would take Emery's team up another level entirely.
Even when still recovering from his ACL injury last season, with 20 fewer starts to his name, Chiesa was only one goal involvement away from Bailey's total of eight throughout the campaign.
The former Bayer Leverkusen winger has just never hit the heights that he was signed to hit at Villa Park after his £25m move back in 2021. And, if Villa want to continue their remarkably impressive rise under Emery, then signing an upgrade in the form of Chiesa should be the way forward this summer.
The Italian, at his best, has proven to be a step above competitors in previous times. It's just a pitty he may cost somewhere in the region of £52m.