Aston Villa have lined up Norwich City’s Todd Cantwell as a replacement for Manchester City-bound Jack Grealish.
According to Sky Sports, Villa are expected to firm up their interest in Cantwell over the coming days as they look to fill the void left by their most influential player.
Grealish is set to join Man City for £100million after an agreement was reached between the two clubs, making him the most expensive player in the history of British football.
Villa have been busy preparing for life without Grealish, by bringing in creative players like Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey.
Former England Under-21 international Cantwell is their next target, having scored 14 goals in 102 appearances for Norwich.
He has a similar playing style to Grealish, with great dribbling skills and close control enabling him to go past defenders and keep hold of the ball in tight spaces.
After winning promotion with Norwich in his first full season, Cantwell shot to prominence with a series of impressive performances in the Premier League.
He couldn’t save the Canaries from relegation but helped them to make an immediate return, once more claiming the title.
The 23-year-old has thrived under the management of Daniel Farke, who encourages his team to take risks in possession.
Cantwell currently has one year left on his contract, but his club have the option to extend it by a further year.
With just 10 days until Norwich get their season underway at home to Liverpool, they will be reluctant to lose another one of their best players.
Buendia has already been sold to Villa for a club record fee of £38million, increasing their reliance on Cantwell.
