Aston Villa are keen on signing Everton defender Thierry Small, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Small profiled

Small is 16 years of age and is a left-back. He became Everton’s youngest ever first-team player last season and is wanted by Arsenal and Manchester United.

The teenager has been offered a bumper first professional deal at Goodison Park but has gone AWOL from Toffees training.

Small, who decorated former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti described as ‘quality’, didn’t return for pre-season training last Monday under Rafael Benitez.

The Latest: Source shares Villa’s interest

According to Football Insider, who were informed by a recruitment source, Villa have joined the race for Small’s services.

Villa have registered their interest in the full-back, who grew up in the Midlands, with Small’s uncle, Bryan, actually playing for Villa for six years.

The Verdict: Another step in the right direction

Villa have already beat Manchester United in the race for defender Josh Feeney this summer, so you’d expect they’d have every chance to sign Small ahead of the Red Devils and the Gunners.

It would be interesting to see how Villa would use Small, should he move to the Midlands.

He could mainly ply his trade in the club’s academy while also serving as back up to Matt Targett. It seems as if he wants to be a part of a first-team squad, as he feels he has no genuine prospect of that at Goodison Park.

The promise of that could be key when it comes to a possible Villa Park switch, so only time will tell if a deal will materialise.

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