Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is reportedly wanted by Aston Villa before the end of the window.
The Villans are in the market for attacking reinforcements following the departure of a number of first-team forwards so far during the winter trading point.
Emiliano Buendia has switched to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on loan, whilst striker Jhon Duran is edging towards a £64.5m move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
Unai Emery's side have performed admirably in the Champions League so far this term, beating Celtic 4-2 in the Second City on Wednesday night to book a spot in the last 16 of the competition.
Villa are facing an uphill battle to qualify for UEFA's elite club competition for a second year running, with Emery's troops currently four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the Premier League rankings.
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Villa emerge as surprise contenders for Rashford?
According to The Athletic, Champions League-competing Aston Villa have entered the race for the services of Man United icon Rashford during this window.
The report claims that Villa boss Emery requested that his side make a move for the player, who he believes could enjoy a revival at the Second City outfit.
It is understood that Rashford has his heart set on a high-profile switch to Barcelona, with the winger willing to wait until the final moments of the window to secure a Spanish switch.
However, there is a hope that the Villans could persuade the former England international to remain in the Premier League with Emery's side.
As well as Rashford, it is believed that Villa are also interested in bringing Paris Saint Germain's Marco Asensio and Chelsea man Joao Felix to the club in the near future.
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Plenty of escape routes for Rashford
Whilst stubbornly waiting for a dream move to Barcelona, Rashford is set to pass on the advances of a wide range of top sides from across Europe.
The 27-year-old has supposedly snubbed a loan offer from Tottenham Hotspur, who are aiming to recruit attacking reinforcements before the deadline.
Regardless of their ability to provide Champions League football, Villa will have to do plenty of convincing in order to lure the 60-time international to Birmingham.
Carter White
