According to reports from The Daily Star yesterday evening, Aston Villa are preparing a £15million summer bid for QPR striker Charlie Austin.
The 25 year-old began his senior career in the lowly surroundings of Kintbury Town, who were in the tenth tier of English football at the time, but he’s now the second-top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League – his 17 goals and five assists in 34 appearances only bettered by Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
With Rangers already relegated back to the Championship and also facing a £58million fine for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations – as reported by The Independent – they’re widely expected to cash in on the 6 foot 2 striker this summer.
Everton and Newcastle have both been linked with Austin ahead of the coming transfer window – as This Is Futbol revealed last month – but The Express also listed Chelsea and Liverpool as potential suitors in April; the former considering replacements for Didier Drogba and the latter expected to undergo a striking reshuffle this summer.
But QPR Director of Football valued Austin at between £15million and £20million whilst on talkSPORT last weekend and that news has clearly made its way to former Spurs colleague Tim Sherwood. They see Austin as the perfect replacement for Christian Benteke, who is on the radars of Liverpool and Manchester United – as This Is Futbol revealed yesterday.