Aston Villa are set to raid their Championship rivals Brentford for their in-form striker Neal Maupay, according to the Sun.
The newspaper reports on their website that Villa could be forced pay at least three times the £2million fee the Bees paid for the 22-year-old when they signed him from Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne in 2017.
The red-hot forward has netted 15 goals for Brentford this season so far, and they currently sit in 18th place in the second tier.
Good move for Aston Villa?
Yes, this would absolutely be a good move for Aston Villa. With on loan striker Tammy Abraham set to join Wolves this month, Maupay has more than enough ability to fill the void that he is set to leave in his wake. Having scored 15 goals already this season, he is in red-hot form, so Villa are very wise to take advantage of that form. Just imagine if he could continue his form if he arrived at Villa – this is no doubt a rumour that fans can get very excited about.
This is Futbol rating: 9/10
Likely to happen?
Other clubs will no doubt join the hunt for Maupay, but the fact Abraham is set to leave means that Villa will push even harder to sign him this month. The report even states that the Bees boss is unsure about keeping the club’s top scorer on the books – so a move is looking ever more likely. Villa will have to pay at least £6 million for him though, which could prove to be a stumbling block if Dean Smith is not provided with enough funds.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10