Football Insider pundit Danny Mills believes Aston Villa will look to sign Celtic midfielder David Turnbull before the European Championships begin.

The Lowdown: Villa readying Turnbull bid

According to The Scottish Sun, Villa have watched the Hoops star on several occasions this season.

Dean Smith has received glowing reports on the attacking midfielder, with Villa thought to be lining up a £7m bid as a result.

Turnbull was recently named as PFA Scotland's Young Player of the Year and was also included in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for this summer’s major tournament.

The Latest: Mills’ Turnbull claim

Talking to Football Insider regarding the links to Turnbull, Mills was asked if Villa will look to seal a deal before the tournament begins in three weeks’ time.

“Definitely. Good managers won’t buy players off the back of a good European Championships, or they shouldn’t do.

“It’s three or four good games, that’s all it is. You can be outstanding in two and average in two and everybody’s like ‘What a player’.”

Mills, 44, continued:

“Your targets should be identified by February because you’ve had six months to look at your players, you know what those players are like, you know what your weaknesses are and you know where to improve.

“Your scouts and scouting network should be doing that work all the way through that time. You should have an A, B and C target. Who they are and for what position.

“The best way is to just get it done. If you have to pay a little bit over the odds, just get it done.

“You don’t want to come back late to pre-season because of the Euros thinking ‘We haven’t signed a player. The player’s going to miss parts of pre-season, he’s not integrated.’

“Just go out and do it, that’s what Villa should be doing.”

The Verdict: Villa should look to tie up a deal

With Ross Barkley set to return to Chelsea at the end of the month and Jack Grealish linked with a move away from Villa Park, we’re with Mills in believing the club should look to wrap up a deal as soon as possible.

It seems as if Villa like what they see in Turnbull after watching him closely, and they know just how good an all-action Scottish midfielder can be with the acquisition of John McGinn in 2018.

Turnbull, who Neil Lennon described as 'class act' back in December, completed more key passes than any player in the Scottish Premiership (80), as per WhoScored, the same amount as Grealish has in the Premier League.

Should he impress for Scotland at the Euros, you’d expect his price tag to rocket, so Villa could be smart in looking to tie up a transfer before then, although it could be a big ask with the time frame and the player more than likely fully focused on representing his country.

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