Five players Aston Villa are tipped to sign in the January transfer window

With the January transfer window set to open and Aston Villa bidding to strengthen as they look to push towards the top six, we take a look at who the bookmakers think could make the move to Villa Park next month.

Ryan Kent - 2/1

Rangers winger Ryan Kent is a player who was admired by Villa boss Steven Gerrard throughout his time at the helm at Ibrox and it’s easy to see why the bookies believe a switch to Villa Park could be imminent.

Comfortable on either flank, particularly the left, or playing as an attacking midfielder or striker, Kent has a versatility which would greatly add to Gerrard’s options if Kent made the move south of the border.

A graduate of the Liverpool academy, Oldham-born Kent spent much of his early professional career out on loan including spells with Coventry City, Barnsley and Bristol City. Kent was named the Tykes’ Young Player of the Season after a highly successful 44 appearances across 2016-17 in South Yorkshire.

However, it is in Scotland where Kent has really grabbed the headlines after initially joining the Gers on loan from Liverpool in 2018, before making a permanent switch the following year for a fee in the region of £6.5m.

Twenty-five-year-old Kent has bagged an impressive 25 goals in 95 appearances during his entire spell in Glasgow and played a huge role in helping Rangers end Celtic’s domination of Scottish football with a string of dazzling performances as Rangers won their first top flight title in ten years last season.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is another known admirer of Kent and the Elland Road outfit could be tempted to make a bid as they seek to pull clear of relegation danger, but a switch to Villa to be reunited with Gerrard would surely prove too tempting for Kent to turn down should Villa offer Rangers an acceptable fee.

Kent, who signed a four-year contract in September 2019, is believed to have a clause in his contract allowing him to leave if a club offers £20m or more for his services.

Alfredo Morelos – 8/1

Colombian forward Alfredo Morelos is the absolute definition of temperamental, but there is little doubting his ability.

Understandably, Steven Gerrard’s patience wore thin on many occasions with Morelos, not least when the Rangers striker set a new European record for the most red cards in a single season when he was sent off for the fifth time in one campaign for elbowing Celtic captain Scott Brown in March 2019.

However, Gerrard could not bring himself to wash his hands with the now 25-year-old, who would bring a different dimension to Villa’s forward line.

Morelos has a pace and power which, if paired with either of Ollie Watkins or Danny Ings, would give defenders a torrid time.

If Morelos is to leave Rangers imminently, then the bookies think Villa Park is the most likely destination, but it would be a big risk for Gerrard to take having appeared to establish such a strong team spirit within the ranks in his short tenure as boss.

Morelos, who averages just under a goal every other game with Rangers having netted 64 times in 138 matches, is arguably the most gifted player in Scottish football. However, whether Gerrard believes he is a gamble worth taking in the altogether different level of the Premier League is another matter entirely.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 10/1

If Villa are to increase their wide options in January, then a move for Liverpool winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could well materialise.

Having made a big-money switch to Arsenal from Southampton in 2011, England winger Oxlade-Chamberlain endured a frustrating spell in London despite playing his part in helping the Gunners to three FA Cup wins.

However, this did not prevent Liverpool swooping to sign him for £35m at the end of the summer transfer window of 2017. On Merseyside, ‘The Ox’ has shown what a strong team player he is despite enduring spells in and out of the side and often having to settle for a place on the bench.

If Villa are looking for experience, then signing a player who has made well over 200 appearances combined for two of the giants of English football could be an inspired move.

Still only 28, Oxlade-Chamberlain has endured numerous injury problems but this season has enjoyed a resurgence in form and is firmly in Jurgen Klopp’s thoughts having produced starring performances against Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Leicester City recently.

With the Reds set to lose forwards Mo Salah and Sadio Mane and midfielder Naby Keita to the African Cup of Nations in early January, it looks as though the timing may not be right for a move to Villa Park at the moment. If a switch were to materialise, it would take serious money to make it happen despite the player only having 18 months left on his contract.

James Ward-Prowse - 14/1

Midfielder James Ward-Prowse was widely expected to move to Villa Park in the summer when then boss Dean Smith was keen on adding the England man to his side and saw several bids knocked back.

Set-piece specialist Ward-Prowse has a wand of a right foot and, with the likes of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa in the side, Villa would prove a real handful to opposition sides from dead-ball situations if Ward-Prowse was to make the switch.

Having joined the Saints academy at the age of eight, Ward-Prowse has spent his entire career at St Mary’s and it would surely take a huge offer in terms of both transfer fee and personal terms to persuade both Southampton and the player to agree to a move.

Ward-Prowse, who has scored 36 times for Saints in more than 300 appearances, is known for his ability to link defence to attack and keep the ball moving quickly, whilst all the time being ready to unleash a thunderous long-range strike.

Despite Villa’s persistence in the summer, Ward-Prowse signed a new five-year contract and spoke of how settled he remained at Southampton, so it’s difficult to see such a big transfer materialising any time soon, particularly during the notoriously difficult January window.

Dele Alli - 16/1

Gifted but inconsistent Dele Alli has found himself back in the fold at Tottenham Hotspur, but new boss Antonio Conte is believed to be willing to offload the midfielder once dubbed the big hope for English football.

Alli has endured a quite remarkable fall from grace having helped England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and Spurs to the Champions League final the following year when his silky skills and eye for goal had fans purring.

Alli has regained his focus this season and made ten Premier League appearances, leaving Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe reportedly ready to swoop as part of the revolution on Tyneside.

Alli, 25, could add a different dimension to Villa’s midfield – bringing the deft touches and intricate passes to complement the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz – but any move for Alli would raise eyebrows were it to stand in the way of Carney Chukwuemeka and others continuing their progression.

Overall, it would appear Alli’s days in north London are numbered, but a new start in B6 isn’t all that likely.

The odds quoted are from SkyBet at the time of writing.

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