ASTON VILLA are ready to compete with Leeds United for Liverpool’s £20million-rated winger Harry Wilson.
The 23-year-old Welsh international failed to make Jurgen Klopp’s pre-season training camp in Austria after suffering picking up a knock in training.
Aston Villa and Leeds will battle it out for Harry WilsonCredit: Rex Features
But he is expected to be available for Liverpool’s Community Shield showdown with Arsenal on August 29.
Wilson still has hopes of breaking into Klopp’s first team this season but is willing to move if that’s what it takes to play regular first team football.
However the Welshman has no intention of going out on loan again after successful loan moves to Hull City, Derby County and Bournemouth all failed to result in a permanent move.
He wants to set down roots and, if it isn’t to be at Anfield, Dean Smith is ready to roll out the red carpet for him at Villa Park.
The Villa boss has targeted Brentford duo Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma but isn’t prepared to meet the Bees’ £55million price tag for the pair – with Algerian winger Benrahma priced at £30million.
If Smith’s former club play hard-ball over Benrahma he will offer Liverpool just over half that amount and move for Wilson who – unlike the Brentford star – has proved he can score goals in the Premier League.
The Welsh winger scored seven goals in 14 appearances for Hull City in the latter half of the 2017/18 season, before scoring 18 times in 49 games for Derby County the following campaign.
Last season he took the Premier League by storm when he scored in his opening two games for Bournemouth and by the end of November he had scored six goals in his first 13 Premier League games.
Bizarrely, Wilson only started one of the Cherries’ last nine games when the season restarted in June – yet still ended up just two goals behind top-scorer Callum Wilson.
He believes he was frozen out because ex-boss Eddie Howe wanted to keep faith with the players who had committed to the club long-term.
That convinced Wilson it was time to end his nomadic existence – especially as his average of a goal every 225 minutes was better than Bournemouth strikers Wilson, Josh King and Dominic Solanke.
Villa boss Smith knows he needs more goals from his flaky forward line and is ready to top the £15million Marcelo Bielsa is offering Liverpool for Wilson.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
