Aston Villa are facing fierce competition this summer to secure the services of Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim that Premier League trio Leicester City, West Brom and Huddersfield are also in hot pursuit, while Championship rivals Middlesbrough are also keen.
Johnstone, 24, spent the second-half of the 2016-17 campaign on loan at Villa Park, keeping eight clean sheets from his 22 appearances, and he is looking to retain his first-team status next season.
But he will struggle to find such opportunities at Old Trafford, where he has yet to make his senior debut, and could therefore consider quitting the club in the coming months.
Aston Villa are interested in striking an agreement to bring the United fringe player back to the club on loan, but several of their rivals could pip them to the post by offering him a permanent transfer.
Both Middlesbrough and Huddersfield would prefer a permanent deal for Johnstone, with Middlesbrough boss Garry Monk mulling over an offer in excess of £3million for the stopper’s services.
But Villa will have the advantage of their previous affiliation with the goalkeeper from last season, and Johnstone will not need to seek any guarantees of his role at Villa Park ahead of the new campaign.
Steve Bruce currently has just Pierluigi Gollini and Jed Steer at his disposal in between the sticks, but he is not likely to be satisfied with his options until he can add at least another stopper.