Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has offered an update on the club’s pursuit of Nottingham Forest ace Henri Lansbury.
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has told the Daily Mail that he thinks Nottingham Forest star Henri Lansbury is for sale this month – but he faces competition from up to four rival teams.
Villa lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, with new signing Sam Johnstone making his debut for the club having joined from Manchester United last week.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
Manager Bruce will still be keen on new signings with Villa seven points off a play-off place, and one player has been heavily linked with a move to Villa Park over the last week.
Nottingham Forest playmaker Henri Lansbury is believed to be a top target for Villa, with The Mirror reporting that Bruce was closing in on a £3.5million raid to land the midfielder.
Lansbury, 26, has racked up 150 appearances for Forest following a 2012 move from Arsenal, scoring 33 goals in the process as he has established himself as a top Championship midfielder in recent years.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood in action with Nottingham Forest’s Henri Lansbury
However, Lansbury’s contract expires at the end of the season, meaning that Forest risk losing him for nothing unless they cash in this month, and Villa are clearly hoping to benefit from that.
Speaking to the Daily Mail after Sunday’s defeat at Tottenham, Bruce admitted that Villa have enquired about signing Lansbury, but believes that up to four other clubs are also in the race to sign him.
Bruce added that he thinks Lansbury is for sale this month, and hailed him as a ‘very, very good player’ at Championship level, meaning it’s only natural for Villa to be interested in signing him.
“Lansbury? We’ve made an enquiry but three or four others have too,” said Bruce. “We believe he’s for sale. It hasn’t been confirmed. All know is that he’s running out of contract. It’s not wise to talk about other people’s players. I’ve been linked with about 40 players. And he’s one of them.”
“He’s been a very, very good player in Championship in last couple of years. And when good players are available we’re interested but that’s all it is at the moment,” he added.
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