A reignited raid for Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna is on the cards for Aston Villa in January after they missed out on his signing over the summer transfer window, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper claim on their website that after chasing the 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt) to help bolster their options at the heart of the defence, with a £7million bid turned down after being tabled late on in the window, the Villans could return to him with a new offer.
Villa boss Dean Smith has a lack of options to call upon in the centre of his back line after predecessor Steve Bruce failed to secure a new centre back signing.
Good move for Villa?
Well the midlands outfit certainly do need some bolstering at the back and having evidently been keen on his capture in the summer, McKenna ticks a lot of boxes.
Tall and strong but also with a decent amount of mobility for a centre back, the only question marks remain over whether he is of Championship quality.
Playing in Scottish football, where he has just 36 top flight appearances, is no comparison for battling it out in England’s second tier and while he might have been capped by his country, Villa would likely prefer someone with a more proven record.
Still, at 22-years-old he is still learning and perhaps it is best for him to join now than in a couple of years so he can get that experience under his belt while still developing as a player – just do not expect wonders straight away.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Considering how much they seemed to want him in the off-season, it would be a surprise if they did not at least enquire about a second bid for his capture.
The problem the Villans seemed to have in summer was they had left it late and the Scottish side did not want to have to look for an immediate replacement with a short amount of time.
This time around there is as long as the whole of January to find someone to fill the void and so Villa could well have a shot at this capture should they return.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10