OPINON
Aston Villa are in need of a new striker to help bolster their attacking options and should consider joining the reported race to sign Lille ace Eder.
The Mail claim that Brighton have made an enquiry to sign the 29-year-old on loan, while Birmingham have also made contact about a potential deal.
It is understood that Ligue 1 club Lille value their forward at £5.5million, but recently promoted Premier League side Brighton are pursuing a loan deal.
Villa should join the race for the in-demand forward and try to bring him back to English football as he had a brief spell with Swansea in the 2015/16 campaign.
Steve Bruce needs another forward to help his side be competitive in the Championship and Eder could be a strong fit.
The Portugal international is widely recognised for helping his nation win the European Championships in 2016 as he scored the winning goal in the final victory over France
He was a regular in the Lille side last season and made 37 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and supplying five assists in return.
Eder has never been a prolific goalscorer during his career, but has experience at the highest level in the Champions League and on the international stage.
He would surely find it easier to find the net in the Championship and would be a big signing for Bruce.
The Midlands giants need to add some extra firewpower in attack to support Scott Hogan as the Mail claim that Leeds have made an enquiry to try sign Villa striker Ross McCormack.
Villa need to strengthen before the end of the window and could be very short of goalscoring options if they don’t bring anyone else in, with Eder seeming like a good option.