Report: Aston Villa plotting £10 million move for Nottingham Forest winger Joe Lolley

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Aston Villa are reportedly considering a move for Nottingham Forest winger Joe Lolley.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Villans are seriously interested in the 26-year-old. The report suggests that Dean Smith’s side may have to pay around £10 million to secure his signature.

It was inevitable that Lolley would attract interest this summer. He has enjoyed a superb first full season at the City Ground with the Reds.

The winger has four years left to run on his current contract having signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal in February. However, it’s common knowledge that he is a boyhood Villa fan and that may play on his mind. Martin O’Neill will be desperate to see him remain with the Reds.

However, it remains to be seen whether the club’s hierarchy would be willing to turn down this sort of money. Not many sides outside of the Premier League have the capability of keeping their best players when a top flight side comes calling. They certainly have a battle on their hands to keep hold of him.

Lolley has undoubtedly been one of the Reds’ best players over the last year or so. He almost helped fire the Reds to an unlikely play-off finish. He picked up 11 goals and contributed 11 assists in 46 appearances in the Championship last season. That was enough to see him deservedly pick up the club’s Player of the Season award.

As a result of this, it isn’t a surprise to see him attracting interest from the newly-promoted club. He’ll want to be back playing in the Premier League very soon, but he may be tempted to stay and help the Reds get there first.

Quality

O’Neill has already openly spoken about his desire to add to his squad’s attacking options this summer. He certainly won’t want to see one his star performers depart. As it stands, Lolley is the only out-and-out winger at his disposal. He would be very difficult to replace, even if the Reds could sign two or three players to replace him.

However, according to the Daily Mail‘s report, Villa are very keen on signing him. The winger picked up four assists and a goal in the 5-5 draw at Villa Park between the two sides in November. This performance seems to have caught the eye of Smith, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the winger was top of his transfer wish-list.

It could be argued that Lolley is a better option than some of the players Smith currently has at his disposal. The likes of Albert Adomah are approaching the latter stages of their career and may not be good enough to make the step-up to the Premier League.

However, Reds supporters will be hoping that the club’s hierarchy aren’t tempted to cash-in anytime soon. It’s fair to say that any talk of promotion would dwindle if the Reds were to let their star player leave. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the situation develops over the summer.