Dean Smith may look to offload before further Aston Villa additions
Villa remain in the market for a midfielder but any further signings this month may depend on moving players out.
The club’s top target, James Ward-Prowse, is likely to be beyond reach with Southampton refusing to sell their skipper having already let Danny Ings depart for Villa in a £25million deal.
Villa had a £25m bid for Ward-Prowse rejected last month and it would require a significantly increased offer, perhaps even double that amount, before the Saints might consider changing their stance.
Other targets are being considered and despite having spent more than £90m already this window, Villa have no shortage of funds following the £100m sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City.
But boss Dean Smith is also keen to avoid stockpiling players in the middle of the park. Morgan Sanson, originally a summer target before Villa opted to move early and complete a £14m deal for the Frenchman in January, will be given his chance to stake a claim after recovering from injury.
John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba are Smith’s other senior midfield options, while 19-year-old Jacob Ramsey is now firmly part of the first-team set-up.
Nakamba is reported to have attracted interest from Everton and West Ham, though no approach has been forthcoming. Luiz was linked with Roma earlier in the window but the Italian club did not firm up their interest.
Conor Hourihane is expected to leave on loan before the end of the month while Frederic Guilbert and Wesley will also be given the chance to seek game time elsewhere.
