Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Leicester City are reportedly keen on Charlie Austin.
According to The Mirror, Aston Villa want to sign Southampton striker Charlie Austin this summer – but face competition from both Bournemouth and Leicester City.
Austin, 28, has been a goalscoring sensation throughout his career, from non-league football to spells with Swindon Town, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers, as well as Southampton.
The striker has hit 16 goals in 45 games for Southampton following his 2016 move from QPR, including six goals this term despite starting just six Premier League games.
However, with Southampton now staring relegation to the Championship in the face, Austin figures to be one of the most in-demand players this summer, with clubs already positioning themselves for his signature.
The Mirror report that Bournemouth and Leicester City are both keen to sign Austin, whilst Championship side Aston Villa are also in the race, providing they win promotion to the Premier League.
The Telegraph report that Austin earns around £80,000-a-week at Southampton, meaning Villa have little to no chance of tempting him away from the Saints if they don’t go up, but he could be ideal for Steve Bruce’s men as a proven Premier League goalscorer.
Intriguingly though, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has been close with Austin for years having worked together at Burnley, some years after Howe couldn’t sign Austin for Bournemouth due to a transfer embargo.
Leicester boss Claude Puel worked with Austin at Southampton last season, meaning the injury-prone striker wont be short of offers this summer – providing the Saints do drop out of the top flight this season.
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