For just £400k, Aston Villa should re-sign Eric Lichaj from Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest could reportedly be willing to sell Eric Lichaj this summer and this should interest Championship rivals Aston Villa.

The right-back position was arguably the strongest area of Aston Villa’s squad last season but the case could soon be very different.

Thanks to Aston Villa’s dire financial situation, The Times report that Ahmed Elmohamady could be on his way out with the club needing to raise £40 million to avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions.

Despite Alan Hutton ending speculation over his future by signing a new deal, according to the BBC, Elmohamady’s potential departure would still leave Villa a little light with the seldom-seen youngster James Bree seemingly still not trusted by Steve Bruce.

So does this mean Villa should be at the front of the queue to pick up Eric Lichaj as a potential cut-price solution to an impending right-back problem?

According to the Nottingham Post, 29-year-old USA international Lichaj is expected to bid farewell to the City Ground with Hull City interested. And Forest are willing to sell one of their longest-serving players for just £400,000.

This should appeal to cash-strapped Villa then, particularly as Lichaj knows the club so well. He spent six years at Villa between 2007 and 2013 before signing for Forest, playing 42 games, and would return a solid, proven Championship defender with plenty of experience – i.e. an ideal replacement for Elmohamady or an upgrade on Bree.