Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Joe Aribo, who is reportedly interesting both sides of the Old Firm.
According to a report from The Sun, Aston Villa are ahead of the likes of Rangers and Celtic in the race to sign Joe Aribo when his contract expires this summer.
Aribo has been outstanding for Charlton Athletic this term, scoring 10 goals in League One to help Lee Bowyer’s men to the play-off final on Sunday, where they will face Sunderland for a place in the Championship.
But The Sun reports he is looking set to leave the Valley with his contract up in the coming weeks. The report notes that Rangers and Celtic are both interested in taking him to the Scottish Premiership, while Manchester City have also apparently registered an interest.
But The Sun claims that the Villans are the team leading the race to sign Aribo, and Dean Smith is keen to sign the 22-year-old regardless of whether they manage to secure promotion to the Premier League or not.
It is little surprise that Smith is looking to freshen up some of his midfield options this summer. It is the area of the field where Villa are arguably at their strongest, but it is also an area where they perhaps do not boast as much depth as they would like.
Landing Aribo would arguably be a fantastic way to kick off their summer. The fans may have their eyes on marquee targets – particularly if they manage to win Monday’s showdown with Derby County – but signing the youngster on a free transfer looks like it could be a brilliant piece of business, especially when you consider some of the teams also chasing him.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
