Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is said to be looking at signing Neal Maupay from Brentford.
Brentford striker Neal Maupay has already gone on record to praise Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, after the pair worked together at Griffin Park.
Smith was the man who first brought Maupay into English football, and The Sun have suggested that Villa are now lining up a bid for the Brentford front-man.
Smith wants to add quality to Villa’s attack following their promotion to the Premier League and feels Maupay is a player who could threaten at the top level.
And the £20 million-rated striker’s comments on Smith from earlier this year suggest that he would be open to a reunion with the Villa manager.
“I have a really, really good relationship with Dean. So obviously if one day he calls me and says ‘Neal, I need you in my team’ I would consider it,” he said.
“But at this moment I can’t be focused on other things than Brentford. Obviously, I really liked working for him, so if one day he wants to bring me to Villa or wherever I would listen to him because he has done a lot of good things for me.”
Maupay notched 25 Championship goals last season to reportedly put himself on to Villa’s radar.
The claret and blues have been looking to tie down Tammy Abraham permanently, but that signing is proving to be complicated.
Maupay could therefore represent a strong alternative, with Villa needing a new number nine who can hit the back of the net in the Premier League.
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