Aston Villa will wait on loan decision over in-demand striker Keinan Davis

Davis is a loan target for several Championship clubs including Derby, Stoke, Preston and Swansea.

But boss Dean Smith will not allow Davis to depart yet with the 22-year-old currently Villa’s second choice striker behind Ollie Watkins.

There remains a chance Davis, who has appeared as a substitute in Villa’s last two Premier League matches and is likely to start tomorrow’s FA Cup third round tie with Liverpool, will be allowed to leave at toward the end of the month.

But that will depend on several factors, most notably the progress of Brazilian striker Wesley as he nears the end of his year-long recovery from a serious knee injury.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to resume contact training in mid-January and Villa hope he will be able to provide back-up to Watkins over the second half of the season.

Villa are assessing attacking options in the market but will only move if the right player becomes available at the right price, or if an injury to a key player makes it a necessity.

The club are fully aware of the difficulties in signing players during the January window following their experiences of a year ago, when injuries forced them to rebuild the spine of the team.

Recent performances from the likes of Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi have helped convince Smith of his squad’s strength in depth, while both Ross Barkley and Trezeguet will bolster the head coach’s options when they return from hamstring injuries in the coming weeks. Barkley may even feature in tomorrow’s cup tie but at the very least is expected back for next Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham.

Midfielder Henri Lansbury, whose contract is due to expire in the summer, will be given the chance to find a new club during the window after being left out of the Premier League squad for the first part of the season.

Otherwise, fourth-choice goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic is the only player definitely departing, with the Croatia international set to rejoin boyhood club Hajduk Split on loan on January 18.

Smith said: “We are looking at it in general in terms of whether there is anything we need to do.

“We are certainly not desperate in terms of players we need to bring in or go out. We have our finger on the pulse but I don’t envision us doing an awful lot, to be honest.

“January windows are difficult and yes, it is going to be a pragmatic approach. We will see how it goes but our sporting director Johan Lange certainly has his finger on the pulse.”