Brighton and Hove Albion are reportedly plotting a move for Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane.
According to The Sun (p60), Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane is wanted by Brighton and Hove Albion, with the Premier League club allegedly weighing up a £4million bid.
Hourihane, 26, had spells with Sunderland and Ipswich Town before really making his name with Plymouth Argyle, hitting 16 goals in 142 games before earning a 2014 move to Barnsley, where the goals continued to flow as he scored 32 goals in his two-and-a-half years at Oakwell.
Conor Hourihane of Aston Villa
In January, the Irishman moved on to Aston Villa, and whilst he has endured an up-and-down spell at Villa Park, he did enjoy his finest afternoon yet on Saturday, as he notched a hat-trick in the 4-2 home win over Norwich City.
Now, The Sun (p60) report that Brighton and Hove Albion are interested in signing Hourihane, with manager Chris Hughton understood to be a long-term admirer of the Villa ace.
It’s even claimed that Brighton, who have embarked on their first Premier League campaign, could offer £4million to sign Hourihane before the transfer deadline, which would give Villa a swift profit on the alleged £2.5million they spent on the midfielder just over six months ago.
Villa could be tempted into such a deal given that Steve Bruce needs to raise funds, but his impressive hat-trick on Saturday may just mean that Bruce sees a huge role for Hourihane moving forward.
Steve Sidwell of Brighton and Hove Albion competes for the ball with Conor Hourihane (L) and Henri Lansbury of Aston Villa
Brighton have already signed two midfield players this summer in Pascal Gross and Davy Propper, but Hughton could look for more depth in the middle given that Beram Kayal is injured and Steve Sidwell is ageing.
Hourihane offers a goalscoring option in the middle of the park, but whether Brighton can convince Villa to sell so close to the transfer deadline remains to be seen.
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