Aston Villa continue to make progress on the field and are looking to expand their talent pool by bringing in a gifted youngster in the January window, according to reports.

Aston Villa contract updates

As cited by Birmingham Live, Aston Villa youngster Omari Kellyman has recently committed his future to Villa on a long-term deal, continuing the recent trend of the Villans being able to tie their prize assets down at Villa Park. Kellyman, who made his senior debut in claret and blue against Hibernian this campaign, has been heralded for his extremely high ceiling by Aston Villa academy manager Mark Harrison, who stated about the 18-year-old: "Everyone is delighted to see Omari sign his contract extension."

He then added: "Since he joined us he has shown an exemplary attitude and approach to his work, while performing consistently at Under-18 and Under-21 level, which led to him making his first team debut and training regularly with the first team. The first team staff have been very positive about his development so far and we look forward to that continuing. This is also a great example of the continued integration between the Academy and the first team."

Kellyman has followed the likes of Ollie Watkins and trio John McGinn, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings in choosing to sign up for the long term under Unai Emery at Villa Park, which is demonstrative of how exciting an environment Aston Villa is at the moment for those who are at the centre of their upward trajectory on the field.

In the Premier League, Aston Villa are sitting fifth with 22 points from their opening ten fixtures while they also hold a favourable chance of securing progress to the knockout phase of the Europa Conference League.

Undoubtedly, the Villans' rapid ascent from relegation battlers to top-four candidates is bound to attract potential arrivals to the possibility of featuring for the club, and now reports suggest that one of Europe's exciting young stars is on Emery's radar.

Besiktas striker Semih Kilicsoy lined up by Aston Villa

According to a transfer update from Turkey, cited by Birmingham Live, Besiktas forward Semih Kilicsoy is a target for Aston Villa, who are preparing to swoop for the 18-year-old in January after initially targeting him during the summer window.

Semih Kilicsoy's statistics 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

6

Goals

1

Assists

0

The Villans are keen to revisit the possibility of striking a deal for the youngster, who has worked his way through the youth system at Besiktas before making his senior debut this campaign in a draw against Antalyaspor in February.

His only goal at first-team level came in a Europa Conference League qualifier earlier this term against KF Tirana, where he operated on the right flank.

Speaking to TRT SPOR, Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun revealed that Kilicsoy has already earned the nickname "Aguero" among his teammates, stating in an interview: "We call Semih 'Aguero' among us. He is very lucky to work with Senol Gunes and Burak Yilmaz. Semih is a player who will be more useful on the wings. The coach trains him accordingly."

Now, the exciting teen could be set for a move to one of the Premier League's high-flyers to continue his positive development under the tutelage of Aston Villa coach Emery.