Aston Villa are reportedly attempting to secure a deal for an Everton forward ahead of the new season.
The West Midlands outfit currently find themselves going through a transitional period with transfer business required to ensure they meet the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Douglas Luiz could be moving to Juventus, while Jhon Duran has been heavily linked with a transfer to Chelsea, with Ian Maatsen seemingly likely to move in the opposite direction in a separate deal.
Furthermore, Everton are said to have agreed terms over signing Villa midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, who remained as a squad player during 2023-24.
However, it appears that discussions between the two clubs have led to Villa taking an interest in a homegrown player at the Toffees.
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Villa in talks with Dobbin
According to The Athletic, Villa have made a surprise move to try to acquire the services of Lewis Dobbin.
The 21-year-old has just endured a relatively frustrating campaign, making just two starts and 13 substitute outings in all competitions.
Dobbin did experience the best moment of his career, though, as he came off the bench to score against Chelsea in a 2-0 victory at Goodison Park.
Since then, the former England Under-19 international has not played more than 45 minutes in a single fixture, indicating he is not a preferred option of Sean Dyche.
That represents his one and only goal or assist for the Merseyside outfit in 20 games, while the versatile attacker also has just one year remaining on his contract.
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Why may Emery look to sign Dobbin?
Unai Emery caught many people off guard when signing Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough in January, yet he has since turned the 21-year-old into a first-team regular.
Dobbin has less pedigree than Rogers. Just five goals and six assists came from 54 appearances with League One outfit Derby County in 2022-23.
From Emery and Villa's perspective, however, he is another versatile English player who can help out in several positions when called upon.
As far as Dobbin - who was born in nearby Staffordshire - is concerned, he has the chance to move to a club competing in the Champions League while potentially earning more game time than he has been given at Everton.
Darren Plant
