Aston Villa are ready to challenge Tottenham Hotspur for Norwich City star Todd Cantwell if they cannot agree a deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Leon Bailey this summer, per 90min.
Leverkusen have already rejected a £25m offer from the Villans for the Jamaican and want more than £30m to sell. Bailey also has interest from several other Premier League sides in Everton, Leicester, Southampton and Wolves, although neither has yet made a bid.
Aston Villa are ramping up their efforts to sign Bailey in response to their rejected offer. The Villans are in contact with both his Bundesliga outfit and agent to discuss leaving North Rhine-Westphalia for Birmingham.
Bailey is ready to quit Leverkusen after four years, too, feeling that now is the time for a new challenge. The 23-year-old will work on leaving the BayArena once he returns for pre-season after representing Jamaica at the Gold Cup.
Yet, Aston Villa are ready to raid Norwich for Cantwell if they are not the side Bailey picks. The Canaries product turned his form around to help the Carrow Road outfit secure their immediate return to the Premier League last season.
Cantwell lit up the top-flight during his first few months in the division before falling off the boil. He offered each of his six goals and two assists for the 2019/20 season by New Year’s Day. But the 23-year-old struck six goals and seven assists to win the Championship.
The £16,000-per-week maestro’s efforts in the second-tier last term attracted a handful of Premier League suitors. The Telegraph recently cited Aston Villa as a potential top-flight destination for Cantwell. While Dean Jones claims Tottenham have also been keeping tabs.
Aston Villa target Cantwell was ‘red hot’ for Norwich last season
Aston Villa would be signing a different type of player by turning to Cantwell as an alternative for Bailey. The Bayer Leverkusen winger is a speed demon who runs past players for fun, delivers crosses and has a strong eye for goal.
While Cantwell likes to cut in from the wing before trying to pull the strings. Injuries also held the Canaries talent back from making an immediate impact in the Championship last season. He only featured five times in the first 16 games due to knee and hip problems.
The England U21 international also sustained a calf injury in February, which Norwich boss Daniel Fark claimed, via Pink Un, came amid ‘red hot’ form. Cantwell had struck three goals and two assists in 16 games, before offering three goals and four assists after his return.
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