According to the Birmingham Mail, Southampton striker Sam Gallagher was on the radar of Aston Villa this summer, but Steve Bruce should be aiming higher and must target Saints man Charlie Austin if he wants to secure promotion.
What’s the story?
Gallagher spent last season on loan with Villa’s city rivals Birmingham, scoring a fairly average seven goals in 34 matches in all competitions. In the 2016/17 season though he did reach double figures in the Championship, netting 11 in 43 league appearances for Blackburn.
Gallagher played for both England and Scotland at U19 level, before progressing into England’s U20 squad where he scored one in four appearances.
The Birmingham Mail reported in July that Bruce was a longstanding admirer of the Southampton man. However, the Daily Echo has now reported that although Saints boss Mark Hughes is willing to send some players on loan, he is hoping to keep Gallagher as a member of his 25 strong Premier League squad.
An ambitious bid
Because of this admission from Hughes, Villa should test his resolve for striker Charlie Austin, with a loan bid that could include a substantial fee for the man valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.
Bruce will need to use this loan window as he would have a normal transfer window after the financial problems at Villa meant he couldn’t make any signings until the new owners arrived in July.
With Danny Ings coming in at St Mary’s from Liverpool and impressing off the bench against Burnley, Austin’s place in the starting line up could be at risk and he may prefer to drop down a division to help with a promotion push. This would be a hugely ambitious bid from Villa but Austin is a player with the goalscoring ability to fire them back to the Premier League.
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