According to latest reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing Queens Park Rangers midfielder, Massimo Luongo, in the summer. Luongo has been in impressive form of late for the Hoops and has contributed massively to the attacking endeavours of his side. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are also keen to lure him to the Selhurst Park to improve the quality of their midfield.
Luongo spent his early years in the youth ranks of the Australian outfit, APIA Leichhardt Tigers. He showed a lot of calibre and potential which persuaded former Tottenham Hotspur and QPR Scout, David Magrone, to bring him to the youth academy of Spurs. However, he couldn’t pave his way to the senior side of the Lilywhites and was frequently shipped out on loan.
The Australian international garnered a loan spell with Ipswich Town and a couple of seasons with Swindon Town, once again on loan, before moving to the ranks of the Robins permanently in the summer of 2013. Eventually, he was signed by QPR in the summer transfer window of 2015 and has been a regular candidate in the starting line-up of the London based outfit.
So far this season, Luongo has made 37 appearances in the Championship and has managed to find the back of the net on 6 occasions. Besides, he has also mustered 3 assists and has been a handy asset for QPR. He is arguably in the best form of his career heading into the World Cup and if he manages to dazzle on the grandest stage of them all for the Socceroos, his value will rocket.
Aston Villa are one of the favourites to clinch a promotion to the English top-flight. Under the tutelage of Steve Bruce, the Villans have engineered substantial outputs and are likely to make it to the playoffs. Bruce will definitely aim to bring in reinforcements in the summer and there is no denying that someone like Luongo can be a decent signing for him.
Capable of operating as a central defensive midfielder as well as a central midfielder, the 25-year-old is very sound when it comes to catering to the defensive duties of his side. He times his runs perfectly while surging forward and is not shy to have a shot at goal. Besides, he has shown the ability to control the game from the middle of the park and thus, it makes complete sense for Bruce to try and lure him to the Villa Park before next season.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored