Aston Villa sent their chief scout to watch Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in action on Friday night, according to Football Insider.
The reliable football news site claim the English Championship club dispatched ex-goalkeeper Tony Coton to McDiarmid Park to watch the Colombian 21-year-old help the Scottish giants beat St Johnstone 3-0.
Football Insider report that Rangers are braced for Morelos bids in the January window as Villa line up a swoop.
Morelos has banged in eight goals in 13 games since his arrival in Scotland this summer for a fee of around £1million after scoring 46 times in 62 appearances for ex-club rom HJK Helsinki.
Good move for Aston Villa?
Villa have had poor returns from their strikers this season and are in the market for someone who consistently knows how to find the back of the net. Teenager Keinan Davis has made a big impact since graduating from the youth ranks, but big-money signings Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan have scored just four league goals between them. It says something that Villa’s top scorers are winger Albert Adomah and midfielder Conor Hourihane. Morelos is raw but has something about him, although there is little evidence so far that he would be an upgrade on Kodjia or Hogan
This Is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
Villa have been big spenders since Tony Xia bought the club and are not afraid to fork out for big fees (Kodjia, Hogan, Ross McCormack) or high salaries (John Terry,Henri Lansbury, Neil Taylor). The second tier big-hitters have the funds to make Rangers an offer they cannot refuse, and it is intriguing that Football Insider report Morelos figures “highly” on Steve Bruce’s wanted list. Don’t rule out a significant January bid.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10