Aston Villa are interested in Charlton Athletic star Joe Aribo, according to Football League World.
The 22-year-old has impressed for the Addicks this season and his 10 goals and five assists have helped Charlton reach the play-off final against Sunderland on May 26.
The report claims that Villa will send scouts to Wembley to watch Aribo next Sunday but they will face stiff competition to land the 22-year-old midfielder.
Southampton, Arsenal and Manchester City are all interested in the youngster and Villa may have to move quickly to beat the Premier League trio.
Aribo is out of contract in the summer and whoever wins the race to sign the Charlton man will have to pay a compensation package.
Good move for Villa?
Aribo clearly has the potential to play at a high level in the future and has been key to Charlton’s success this season. There are a number of big clubs chasing him and Dean Smith should act quickly on this to win the race for the talented midfielder. The 22-year-old is low risk and with him being out of contract in the summer, Villa will only have to pay a compensation package. Aribo’s value could rocket in the future and it would be a smart piece of business from Dean Smith.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Charlton could still win promotion to the Championship this season and Aribo may feel as if he has a better chance of receiving game-time with Charlton than any of the clubs that have been linked. Despite this, he is out of contract in the summer and with big clubs like Villa being mentioned he may fancy a step-up to a bigger challenge. Villa will send scouts to watch him next Sunday and depending on his performance, he may become even more in demand after the game. It would be good business from Villa and Aribo could add good squad depth – they are well and truly in the hunt.
This Is Futbol rating: 6/10