Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion have been linked with Brentford’s Romaine Sawyers.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Aston Villa want to sign Romaine Sawyers and reunite him with manager Dean Smith but they face competition from promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion.
The report claims the Baggies are still in the hunt to sign the Brentford man having had an interest during the summer, but Smith is keen on working with him again at Aston Villa.
The midfielder was signed by Brentford back in 2016 from Walsall, reuniting him with Smith who had a tenure at the League One club prior to moving to Griffin Park.
Capable of playing in several midfield roles, Sawyers has gone on to make over 100 Championship appearances for the Bees and is often regarded as one of their better players.
Villa have an abundance of midfielders with Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, Mile Jedinack, Birkir Bjarnason, Glenn Whelan and Henri Lansbury in contention but Sawyers could offer them something different.
The 27-year-old’s versatility and passing range – averaging 84.6% pass-accuracy rate and 1-9 key passes per game (Whoscored) – makes him one of the Championship’s outstanding talents on the ball.
With better players around him, Sawyers could reach another level and both Villa or West Brom would benefit from his presence as both clubs seek a return to the Premier League come next May.
With his contract running in the summer of 2020, perhaps Brentford feel January could be their best bet of getting a decent fee for him.
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