Aston Villa have been one of the form teams in the Championship recently as they continue to build towards securing a play-off spot under Dean Smith.

The Villains will be desperate to keep up their momentum having come on leaps and bounds since Steve Bruce's departure, with promotion to the Premier League being the main aim.

However, one problem for the Midlands club this season has been in-between the sticks, as Orjan Nyland continues to put in nervy performances.

Interestingly, Aston Villa have the perfect opportunity to secure a quality replacement for the Norwegian in January, if they can beat Leeds United in the race. The Villains and Marcelo Bielsa's side have been linked with a January move for Karl Darlow, who is a £4 million target, according to The Sun.

THE BREAKDOWN

Karl Darlow was on Aston Villa's books as a youngster and played under the Villans boss, Dean Smith at Walsall, so he could be open for a return to the Midlands. He has struggled to nail down a permanent place at Newcastle United ever since they secured promotion to the Premier League, so a January move seems like the right option.

£4 million would be an absolute bargain for the goalkeeper as he is in the prime years of his football career and has already shown he can perform to a high standard in the Premier League and in the Championship. Plus, when you consider today's market and the fact that Villa signed Pierluigi Gollini for £3.75 million, it seems like a great deal.

The Englishman is desperate for games ahead of his injury return, which is scheduled for before the New Year. But, it remains to be seen as to Rafa Benitez will sanction a deal.

Aston Villa's summer signing Orjan Nyland is struggling to impress for Villa, with a number of mistakes already against his name in the current campaign. A goalkeeper signing is a must for the Villains at this stage in their season as it could prove to be the difference between them securing promotion via the play-offs and missing out.

Darlow is a great shot-stopper that has already proved he can excel in the Championship during Newcastle United's title-winning campaign a couple of years back, so Dean Smith could secure Villa a bargain and promotion to the Premier League if he gets his man in January.

Aston Villa fans, should they sign Darlow?