The Barnsley captain appears closer than ever to a move to Aston Villa.
Barnsley midfielder Conor Hourihane has admitted that his head has been turned by Aston Villa, the Birmingham Mail reports, as he edges nearer a January move.
The 25-year-old has been one of the standout players in the second tier this season and added to his burgeoning reputation with a brilliant free-kick against Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on Saturday, helping the Tykes on their way to a dramatic 3-2 win.
That was his sixth strike of a productive season in front of goal while his league-leading 11 assists has also helped catch the eye of some of the second tier’s biggest clubs.
The Sun report that Villa are prepared to offer £3 million, plus £30,000 a week in wages, for Hourihane and the midfielder has admitted publicly for the first time that he may be interested in pulling on the famous claret and blue.
“Aston Villa is a fantastic club,” the former Sunderland youngster said after Saturday’s victory in quotes reported by the Birmingham Mail.
“When a manager like Steve Bruce comes looking for you, it does turn your head a little bit. But we’ll see what happens next week.”
A move to the Midlands has seemed likely for some time, especially after The Sun reported that Villa was Hourihane’s preferred destination despite reported interest from Sheffield Wednesday, Rangers and Celtic.
Consequently, Bruce’s midfield could look dramatically different, and dramatically improved, by the end of the month with the Irish play-maker set to join Henri Lansbury at Villa Park.
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