Aston Villa ‘advance quickly’ for Danny Ings replacement, Wolves ‘reignite’ defender interest

Aston Villa are reportedly advancing with a move for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele as Unai Emery looks to bring in a Danny Ings replacement. West Ham United are set to announce the signing of Ings imminently as he leaves Villa Park for a fee of around £15 million - leaving a hole to fill.

The Villans have already made progress in fixing that particular issue,, with an enquiry said to be launched for Dembele, whose contract expires in June of this year. Formerly a transfer target for Emery when he was at Arsenal, Dembele is a player that has been tracked by the Spaniard for quite some time.

The Daily Mail reports that “Villa have made an approach to Lyon” as there is a belief Dembele can be “available for as little as £3 million” this month. The 26-year-old would of course be available on a free transfer in the summer but at that point, there would likely be more competition and Villa need someone now.

Dembele has struggled somewhat to rediscover his form of old this season as he has only played 35% of the minutes available to him in Ligue, scoring just twice. The Frenchman enjoyed things far more last campaign, however, as he netted 21 goals and contributed four assists in 30 league appearances for Lyon.

Meanwhile, Wolves reach a ‘crucial stage’ in negotiations

In other West Midlands football news, Villa’s local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly closing in on a deal for Atletico Madrid centre back Felipe. Having previously been linked with the Brazilian, this may not come as too much of a surprise, but the speculation surrounding this one had gone deafeningly quiet.

Felipe was meant to come to Molineux alongside Matheus Cunha, but a deal was never struck. Now, however, Fabrizio Romano reports: “Atlético Madrid and Wolves will be in contact again to close Felipe deal in the next 24/48 hours. It’s a crucial moment for the negotiation.” Atleti, meanwhile, are hoping to sign Leicester City defender Çağlar Söyüncu as Felipe’s replacement.