Aston Villa appear to be keen on signing Olympique Lyon forward Moussa Dembele, potentially during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Ings exit…

It looks as if Unai Emery is set to lose Danny Ings this month, with the Englishman seemingly on his way to West Ham in a deal worth £15m.

That will leave Ollie Watkins as the only recognised senior centre-forward available to Emery, although the club have reached an agreement to sign teenage forward Jhon Duran, and it looks as if another attacking addition could be on the cards.

Foot Mercato shared a story on Thursday afternoon, claiming that Villa are thinking of moving for Dembele due to Ings’ pending exit.

The report states a January move hasn’t been ruled out, although Villa are ideally keen on a summer move where the French forward could become a free agent.

The Verdict: One to watch?

It’ll be interesting to see if Villa look to sign another forward or if Emery is happy with Watkins and Duran for the second half of the campaign, especially with the manager tending to go with a 4-4-2 system in the Midlands.

Dembele, sponsored by Adidas, has plenty of experience for the likes of Fulham, Celtic and Lyon, scoring 139 senior goals during his career and is an out-and-out centre-forward.

He is now 26 years of age and was once described as 'the new Didier Drogba' by talent scout Jacek Kulig, so a cut-price move now or free transfer in the summer could be a smart one by Villa, making it one to watch in 2023.