Steve Bruce has suggested that Aston Villa have their eye on Scott McKenna after making a summer bid for the centre-back.
In comments reported by the Evening Express, Steve Bruce has suggested that Aston Villa still have Scott McKenna on their radar after their failed summer move for the defender – and he is not the only player in Scotland that the Villans are interested in.
One issue that Villa did not address during the summer was the lack of defenders within their ranks following John Terry’s departure. Axel Tuanzebe returned for another loan, but there is serious concerns about the lack of depth at the heart of the defence.
The Evening Express reports that Bruce made a £7 million bid for McKenna during the last window, but Aberdeen rejected that offer for the Scotland international who is threatening to establish himself as one of the most impressive centre-backs in the Scottish Premiership.
And Bruce suggested that McKenna is still on Villa’s wishlist ahead of the January transfer window, along with some of the other talents coming through in the country.
“He is someone we have had a look at, Scott. But there are two or three other players in Scotland we have been looking at as well,” he said, as reported by the Evening Express.
“We will see what develops.”
Given that Villa’s most impressive signing so far from the summer has been John McGinn, it is probably no surprise that Bruce is keen to use the Scottish market to strengthen his options.
The top flight in Scotland is often unfairly written off by many, and thus, there are some real gems available at potential-bargain prices.
McKenna may have some way to go before he shows signs of being the next Virgil van Dijk, but he is showing an enormous amount of promise at this stage of his career. And that is understandably catching the eye of a Villa side that have kept just one clean sheet in the league this term.
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