Aston Villa are one of three Premier League clubs 'following the footsteps' of Espanyol's Omar El Hilali.

That's according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo who say Villa, Brighton and Manchester City are all tracking the progress of the 21-year-old.

The right back, who can also play centre-half, has started every on of Espanyol's La Liga matches so far this term, and while the Catalan outfit are third bottom of the table, the 21-year-old has emerged with credit.

That comes after he was a key part of the team which won promotion from La Liga 2 last season, with and made 41 appearances in all competitions. In total he has played 63 senior games since stepping up from the B team, for whom he made his debut as a 17-year-old.

As well as coming through the youth system with Espanyol, the defender has also progressed through the age groups in the Morocco national set-up and took part in the Under-21 Africa Cup of Nations last year.

Intriguingly El Hilali is under contract until the summer of 2027 but has a EUR15million release clause - one they said to be unlikely to renegotiate.

As things stand Villa have Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa as senior options at right back, while Kosta Nedeljkovic is also working to make a breakthrough although he has dropped out of the match-day squad in recent weeks.