Reliable reporter John Percy has had his say on Aston Villa’s links to Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey.
The Lowdown: Bailey links
Villa’s interest in Bailey emerged on Wednesday, with reports suggesting the club were eyeing up a £30m swoop for the wide man.
The 23-year-old is viewed as an attainable target by Villa and are thought to be readying an approach to the Bundesliga side.
Bailey, who scored 15 goals and registered 11 assists last season, has just under two years left on his Leverkusen deal.
The Latest: Percy’s post
Percy, who writes for The Telegraph, responded to a Villa supporter on Wednesday evening suggesting Bailey fits the criteria for Villa in terms of position and price, however, he didn’t feel a move is imminent.
Another Villa fan then quoted his tweet, sharing his disappointment, with Percy replying to the supporter in question, saying:
“Never said he wasn’t on the list mate”
Percy, who has over 120,000 followers, can get hundreds of retweets and thousands of likes on his transfer posts, but as this was a reply to a fan, it seemed to go under the radar with just two retweets.
The Verdict: Sign
Bailey could well be on Villa’s shopping list, according to Percy, and a move for the Jamaican could turn out to be an excellent piece of business.
He’s capable of playing on either flank or as a centre-forward, with his main position coming on the right.
Should he move to the Midlands, Dean Smith may well then decide to use Jack Grealish in a central role, if he stays at Villa Park of course.
A front four of Bailey, Grealish, Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins looks dangerous on paper, but a lot could happen between now and Villa’s opener against Watford on August 14.
In other news: Everton ace keen on Villa move, find out more here.