Aston Villa have withdrawn from the race to sign Chelsea defender Gary Cahill in January, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper report that the Championship club have held talks with the Blues over a potential mid-season deal for the 33-year-old centre-back, but have been put off by the cost of such a swoop.
The Telegraph claim that Dean Smith is now eyeing up alternative targets after learning that a six-month deal would cost the club up to £4million including wages and a loan fee.
It is said that Chelsea would prefer to sell Cahill permanently, but would be willing to loan him out if a club is willing to pay his £110,000-a-week wages in full.
Good move for Aston Villa?
There is a clear need for Villa to sign a centre-back in January, with Smith having very few senior options in that position at the moment.
Signing former star Cahill would have been a brilliant move for Villa, with the England international still head-and-shoulders above most defenders in the division.
However, paying so much money for his services would not be a wise move considering their precarious financial situation in recent seasons, and they look to have made the right choice in abandoning their hunt.
This is Futbol rating: 9/10
Likely to happen?
It looks like Villa have ended their interest in Cahill, so a move is looking out of the question.
There will be plenty of other targets on their list, and it will likely be someone else who is brought in to address their issues at the back in January.
This is Futbol rating: 1/10