Aston Villa are looking into the possibility of signing Sheffield Wednesday attacker Gary Hooper on a free transfer in the summer, according to the Sun.
The Sheffield Wednesday striker has had a disappointing season in the Championship, only scoring one goal after falling out of favour for the majority of the campaign.
According to the newspaper, Villa will face competition from Fulham and Celtic for the 31-year-old who is set to leave Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer when his contract expires in June.
Good move for Aston Villa?
This is a strange link to say the least for all involved. Aston Villa have had two strikers who have been in fine form in terms of Championship football in previous years in Tammy Abraham and Jonathan Kodjia. Hooper is the opposite of a forward who is in great form and has struggled enormously for form only managing one goal in a disastrous season. With the possibility of Premier League football ahead of them, Dean Smith has to aim much higher with Hooper being much worst than his two main strikers. If Villa fail to earn promotion, they may need to cut cost’s and a free move for the English striker could be the way forward but the Villa faithful will be desperate for this link to not to materialise.
This is Futbol rating: 3/10
Likely to Happen?
This completely hinges on which division Aston Villa are next season. If they are in the Premier League then this will be a no go for all involved in this potential deal. The favourites for Hooper’s signature will be Celtic. Neil Lennon is reportedly waiting to see if he will be in permanent charge of the club before placing an offer to the striker that spearheaded his attack in his previous spell at the club. That move will surely be favoured by Hooper but Aston Villa may be forced to go down the cheaper route of tried and tested older Championship players should they fail to earn promotion.
This is Futbol rating: 4/10