Aston Villa have been linked with highly-rated Belgian sensation Dennis Praet, but he is far from a household name on these shores. So, what exactly do Villa fans need to know about their potential new signing?
The details
Praet was born in Leuven, Belgium on May14 1994, and the 21-year-old currently plays for Belgian giants Anderlecht.
He plays as a creative attacking midfielder and has made one appearance for the Belgium senior national team with current Villa first-teamer Christian Benteke, making his debut in a 3-1 win over Iceland in November 2014.
The midfielder first shot to prominence during his eight years with fellow Belgian club Genk where he, like Benteke and Kevin de Bruyne before him, honed his skill and ability in their youth team as a regular starter.
Anderlecht signed him in May 2010, and he made his senior debut the following year in a Belgian Cup fixture against Second Division side Lommel United.
He scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League against Turkish giants Galatasaray back in September 2014, and won the prestigious Belgian Golden Shoe at the end of the 2014/2015 season for a productive season which brought nine goals and 11 assists in 28 games.
What would Praet bring to Villa?
Praet is a talented, skilful and creative playmaker with impressive dribbling ability and wonderful technique in possession, working most effectively as a central attacking midfielder just behind the strikers in the traditional number 10 role.
Villa currently have Jack Grealish as the standout creative outlet at the club, after he shone towards the end of last season following the arrival of Tim Sherwood. However, this doesn't mean to say Praet has no place in the Villa midfield.
He is a very composed young man who would bring further energy and creative drive to the center of the park, and has a knack for getting forward and creating goals. His potential arrival would provide stiff competition for the likes of Grealish, Ashley Westwood and Charles N'Zogbia could in turn improve player performances as they would be made to work harder to maintain a first-team place.
It would be a real coup for Villa to land Praet, but with money to spend this summer and a potential £150million takeover on the horizon, Sherwood could build an exciting side ahead of the new Premier League season and fulfil his promise of being "nowhere near a relegation battle" while he is in charge.
