Aston Villa will look to conduct some smart business in January as they bid to rise up the Premier League table and could now turn to an exciting attacker who is making waves in South America.
Aston Villa embroiled in Maccabi Tel Aviv fan controversy
The Villans have been in the headlines over the last few days through no fault of their own, amid controversy surrounding West Midlands Police's refusal to let Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attend Villa Park, alongside advice on the same lines from multi-agency forum The Safety Advisory Group.
High-profile figures such as Keir Starmer have called for the decision to be revoked before the Europa League clash, which has come as a surprise, given Prime Ministers don't usually interfere with decisions made by senior authorities relating to football match attendance.
Whether the away fan ban gets overturned or not remains to be seen. Ultimately, Aston Villa are merely stuck in the middle of an unfortunate situation and won't necessarily have the deciding say on this matter, albeit it has become global news.
Back to footballing matters, John McGinn is close to signing a new deal in the West Midlands, while they could also make an approach for Galatasaray star Wilfried Singo in January.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery catches the match ball
Unai Emery has managed to recover his side from an uninspiring start to the campaign, and there is a feeling they will kick on over the next few weeks, albeit he will be the first to admit his squad needs serious surgery in 2026.
With that in mind, the Villans have now made an approach to sign one of South America's most exciting talents, who is garnering worldwide attention.
Aston Villa make Rayan enquiry
According to NTVASCAINOS, Aston Villa have made an enquiry to sign Vasco da Gama attacker Rayan, who has also shot onto the radar of Tottenham and Newcastle due to his goalscoring exploits in South America.
Villa are said to have contacted members of Vasco's coaching staff about his prospects of a Brazil call-up from Carlo Ancelotti too, so it is clear just how highly they rate Rayan.
Vasco da Gama's Rayan Vitor celebrates scoring their fourth goal
Predominantly used as a right-winger, the Brazil Under-20 international has registered 15 strikes and an assist in 45 appearances across all competitions this term, though he is also capable of featuring on the left flank or as a central striker.
Likely to be a long-term investment, Rayan is set to be out of contract in his homeland at the end of December 2026, potentially offering the Villans a route to land him for an affordable fee over the next few months.
Reported to be keen on a Premier League move, the 19-year-old appears to have no shortage of interest in his services, and it will be intriguing to see if Emery can tempt him to pitch up at Villa Park.
Rayan is a highly-sought after talent, and recently became the youngest Vasco player to reach 10 Brazilian top flight goals since Dinamite in 1973, breaking a 52-year record in the process.
His manager, Fernando Diniz, said the teenager has "enormous game-changing ability" and players of his attacking prowess are "very rare".
“Rayan is a player with enormous game-changing ability, one of the biggest in the country," Diniz said.
"He is only 19, still learning to understand his own potential. There is a long road ahead, but he is a rare, very rare player."