Aston Villa are reportedly looking to sign Liverpool’s Sheyi Ojo.
Aston Villa have been dealt a blow just days away from the start of the Championship season, as Jack Grealish has been ruled out with a freak injury.
Playmaker Grealish, 21, suffered a kidney injury against Watford in Villa’s final pre-season game, and is now set to miss between three and six months of action after his bizarre blow.
Manager Steve Bruce now has to re-assess his attacking options ahead of Saturday’s opening day clash with Hull City, though a new signings may now be needed.
Out wide, Bruce can call upon the likes of Albert Adomah, Andre Green and Birkir Bjarnason, but another flair player may be required given that Grealish may now be out until 2018.
Last week, the Liverpool Echo reported that Villa have agreed terms with Liverpool to take winger Sheyi Ojo on loan, though so have Derby County, Fulham and Middlesbrough as the race hots up for the youngster’s signature.
Now, with Grealish out of action, Villa have to hope that Ojo chooses a move to Villa Park, and Bruce may well now attempt to push the former MK Dons teenager into making a swift decision ahead of the new Championship season.
Ojo, 20, brings more pace and power than Grealish, but can also beat full backs with trickery, and he showed just how dangerous he can be with some promising displays for England at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea earlier this summer.
Villa will need another attacking spark in Grealish’s absence, and with terms already agreed for Ojo, he appears to be the prime candidate – but he needs to make a quick decision before Villa look at other targets, and Villa may now be the best option for him given that Grealish’s injury presents a clearer route to first-team football than rival offers.
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