According to reports, Aston Villa are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill in the summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
Despite signing Morgan Sanson back in January from Ligue 1 side Marseille, it appears Dean Smith isn’t done with reinforcing Villa’s midfield options ahead of next season.
Now, TEAMtalk claim that the Midlands club have got their sights set on Brownhill, with the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolves also having scouted him over the past few months.
Should Villa sign Brownhill?
Yes!
No!
The report adds that Burnley are facing a battle to keep hold of the 25-year-old after a “hugely impressive campaign”.
He silenced Jack Grealish
Having only joined Burnley last year, Brownhill has already established himself as a key part of Sean Dyche’s side, making 23 appearances in the Premier League already.
One of his best performances in a Clarets shirt came in a 0-0 draw against Villa back in December, with the 25-year-old just overpowering Jack Grealish on the day – the Villa talisman lined up in the number ten role, with Brownhill part of the Burnley engine room.
While Grealish still tried to work his magic, the Burnley man looked to get tight to him all the time, making the contest as physical as possible.
The £17m-rated Brownhill made a mammoth five interceptions, which was comfortably more than any other player on the pitch, and double that of his impressive season average of 2.4 per game in the Premier League.
As well as constantly trying to stop Grealish getting the ball in dangerous areas, Brownhill was also strong in the challenge, winning seven of his 11 total duels – he’s won 4.9 per match this season.
It was no surprise then that Grealish ended up losing the ball on 11 occasions, while none of his six attempts on goal found the target. Brownhill was an absolute machine in the middle of the park for Burnley and completely silenced Villa’s main man.
If Johan Lange was watching the midfielder, it’s no surprise that he appears to be interested in making a move for him in the summer.
Meanwhile, this Villa target delivered a masterclass at the weekend…