Aston Villa and Dean Smith will be keen to bulk up their squad as they prepare for a return to the Premier League.
Aston Villa are looking to strengthen their defence this summer and have reportedly targeted Brighton and Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk.
The Sun have claimed that centre-back Dunk is one of many players on Dean Smith’s shopping list as Villa plan for their return to the Premier League.
Added with that, TeamTalk have reported that if Brighton were to part ways with one of their key players then it would cost £30 million for his signature, with Leicester City another team keen on his services.
If Aston Villa push for a deal for Dunk, and pay the reported fee Brighton seemingly want for him then they will be doing the worst piece of business of the summer transfer window.
Whilst the 27-year-old would add much-needed quality and experience to Villa’s backline, they simply shouldn’t pay over the top for a player that is not playing at the top end of the league and would not have any sell on value.
Added with that, it could be argued that a player like James Chester, who has had to deal with a knee injury since the turn of the year, is a better player than Dunk.
Smith still needs to add more legs to his defensive backline. He will be hoping that loanee Tyrone Mings makes his move to Villa Park permanent.
If that were to happen then Villa would have Mings, Kortney Hause and Chester as their centre-back pairings – one more right-sided CB would be needed. Dunk would fit the bill, but not at the price offered.
The Midlands outfit are better off pushing for Gary Cahill’s signature, who will be a free transfer once his contract at Stamford Bridge runs out at the end of this month.
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