Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Derby County are reportedly vying for Southampton’s Sam Gallagher.
According to Sky Sports, Championship trio Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Derby County are all in talks to sign Southampton striker Sam Gallagher on loan for the season.
Gallagher, 21, joined the Saints from the Plymouth Argyle academy back in 2012, but has played just 20 first-team games for Southampton, scoring only two goals.
Alan Hutton of Aston Villa and Sam Gallagher in action
Gallagher penned a season-long loan deal with MK Dons in 2015 but returned to Southampton early after failing to score in 15 appearances – but he enjoyed a little more success with Blackburn Rovers last season, scoring 12 times in 46 games in all competitions.
The 6ft 4in striker is now back at St. Mary’s Stadium, but seemingly isn’t in Mauricio Pellegrino’s immediate plans, as he lies behind the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin and Shane Long in the pecking order.
Now, Sky Sports report that Pellegrino is happy for Gallagher to go out on loan again, with Championship trio Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Derby County all in talks to take him for the season.
Villa may have spent heavily on the likes of Ross McCormack, Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan in recent times, but with McCormack out of favour, Kodjia injured and Hogan still adjusting to life at Villa Park, manager Steve Bruce may feel that Gallagher can provide a spark for his struggling Villa side.
Birmingham have been in the market for strikers all summer, and whilst they managed to snap up Luton Town’s Isaac Vassell, manager Harry Redknapp could see Gallagher as a more physical option to compete with the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz and Clayton Donaldson.
Meanwhile, Derby have already tied up the signature of Tom Lawrence this week, but adding another forward like Gallagher to compete with David Nugent, Matej Vydra and Chris Martin could be a smart move – and it now remains to be seen who Gallagher chooses.
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