Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Premier League • England

Aston Villa plotting raid on Southampton to snatch £25m-rated centre-back also on Man Utd, Leicester radars

Aston Villa are reportedly plotting to sign a Southampton centre-back who is also wanted by Manchester United and Leicester this summer. 

Saints are currently battling against relegation from the top flight and, to that end, have already started planning for the possibility that they will have to offload some of the best players at the end of the season.

One of those players is defender Mohammed Salisu, who Southampton currently rate in the £25million bracket.

And according to Football Insider, Villa, United and Leicester are all in the mix for a player who moved to St Mary’s from Spanish side Real Valladolid in 2020. His current deal runs out in 2024.

The 23-year-old has made 28 appearances for Southampton across all competitions this season and has provided one assist in that time.

Salisu also featured for Ghana at the World Cup in Qatar where he made three appearances and managed to notch his second goal for the national team.

Villa’s interest comes despite them forking out £26m to sign Diego Carlos from Sevilla last summer. However, the tough-tackling centre-back only made two appearances for the club before suffering a serious injury that has kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season.

Villa set for defensive boost

Carlos is, however, on the verge of returning to the side. But Villa are being cautious over his return to first-team duty.

Unai Emery’s side have been progressing well and currently sit 11th in the Premier League, a whopping 11 points clear of 12th-placed Crystal Palace.

Adding Salisu would certainly give Emery a number of quality centre-back options, although Football Insider states that United and Leicester might have something to say about that. Meanwhile, Newcastle have also previously been linked with the player.

There is also the possibility that Southampton could still stay up, given how condensed it is at the bottom of the table.

As for Villa, they are back in action on Saturday April 1 when they to Chelsea in the Premier League.

READ MORE: Ousted England forward sparks Man Utd transfer battle with Aston Villa, as reduced price set on inevitable move