Aston Villa have joined the race to sign the Nottingham Forest midfielder.
A report in the Birmingham Mail has suggested that Aston Villa’s bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury is worth £3 million.
Lansbury appears to be one of the most highly sought after players in the Championship it seems, with Birmingham City and Derby County also credited with an interest in the 26-year-old during the early stages of the January transfer window, the Mail reports.
Nottingham Forest’s Henri Lansbury
But while the Blues have given up on trying to sign the former Arsenal trainee – who is out of contract at the end of the season – the Mail reports that Derby had confirmed their interest with a £2.5 million offer, but had the bid turned down by their bitter rivals.
Perhaps sensing that the Rams are due to make an improved offer, Villa have attempted to move right to the front of the queue by offering £500,000 more than Derby had.
While Forest may not be happy about the prospect of selling one of their key players, they are not in a strong position given that there is so little time left on his contract at the City Ground.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
And if Lansbury makes it clear that he is not planning on extending his stay, all Forest can perhaps do is decide whether to let him go this month for a fee or keep hold of him until the summer.
And should they decide to cash in, they may also be able to have some say in where he moves to, and given the rivalry with Derby, it may well be that Villa’s offer puts them in pole position.
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