Aston Villa have enjoyed a miraculous recovery this term under Unai Emery and head into the final day of the Premier League campaign with a chance of securing continental qualification.

Next on the Spaniard's agenda will be assessing who to bring in this summer alongside who to offload to raise funds to spend in the forthcoming transfer window.

Outcast Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move away from the West Midlands in the off-season. InterLive via Sport Witness report that Inter Milan are keen on offering the £125k-a-week ace a potential return to the San Siro.

In terms of incomings, The Daily Mail claim that Tottenham loanee Giovani Lo Celso, who is on loan at Villarreal, has been watched several times by the Villans as they look to add some steel to their midfield.

What's the latest news on Giovani Lo Celso and what would he bring to Aston Villa?

Lo Celso, who has been hailed as a potential "exciting" signing, is said to be a 'favourite' of Villa boss Emery and had previously been considered by the 51-year-old when he was a candidate to take over at Newcastle United.

Swapping Coutinho out for the €79,231 (£68,946) earner at Villa Park seems like a relatively sensible deal for the Villans heading into next term. In 2022/23, Lo Celso has made 26 appearances for Villarreal in all competitions, registering one goal and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

In 2020, Spurs loanee Harry Winks praised Lo Celso's ability to command the middle of the park, as per The Guardian, stating: "He’s an exciting player and a player that the fans should be happy about. There’s a lot more to come from him in terms of what the fans can expect.”

Comparing Coutinho and Lo Celso, it is clear to see that the latter would be an upgrade on the former when factoring in the requirements to be a success in Emery's Aston Villa side.

As per WhoScored, Lo Celso has comfortably outstripped Coutinho in key passes, pass success rate and long balls per game. In total, Lo Celso has managed 1.5 key passes per match, a pass completion rate of 86.3% and an average of 2.2 long balls per game.

Conversely, Coutinho has only managed 0.4 key passes per fixture, 78.5%, regarding his pass success rate and 0.5 long balls per appearance, demonstrating that the 30-year-old has been an underwhelming presence in 2022/23.

Coutinho is the third-most expensive footballer ever, though he now looks to be nothing more than a spare part at Aston Villa. This season, he has played 22 times, notching a single goal, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones thinks that Lo Celso could be a more appropriate figure to function within Emery's tactical framework than Coutinho.

Joned told FFC: "I think he's probably a better fit for the direction they're heading in. I think that's how you have to view Aston Villa right now. It's not about the pedigree of a player; it is a case of how do they fit in with the vision of wherever he's [Emery] is taking this. They've moved forward very quickly since he came into the club and I think Lo Celso is the sort of profile that he needs if this club is going to get on board with exactly where he wants to get to."

Shifting Coutinho off the wage bill would be a bright idea from Emery and replacing him with a quality presence in Lo Celso would help to increase competition for places at Villa Park moving forward.