Aston Villa have reportedly had a bid for winger Leon Bailey rejected, which could encourage Liverpool to move for the player in the coming days.
Bayer Leverkusen have turned down a £25m offer from Villa for the Jamaican, according to the Daily Mail.
Bailey is said to be open to moving to the Premier League, with the Birmingham side possibly going to up their bid in the next few days.
It is not surprising that Villa want to sign him.
He has been tipped for superstardom ever since his days at Genk as a teenager.
He impressed during his early years in Germany too, before suffering a slight dip.
However, Bailey reemerged last season with 14 goals and 10 assists in the league and Europa League.
Dean Smith’s side have shown great ambition in the market so far, having already brought in Emi Buendia and bid for more attacking talent like Emile Smith-Rowe.
This could be caveated by the sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City, but there is nothing done yet.
However, could news of an Aston Villa bid for Leon Bailey encourage Liverpool to make a move for a player that they have long been linked to?
Liverpool have to move quickly before Bailey joins Aston Villa
We all know that Liverpool want to sign an attacker this summer.
At 23-years-old, Bailey represents the type of option that the Reds have previously gone for.
In fact, they have had numerous links to the player in the past.
However, there has been little talk of a Bailey to Liverpool switch this summer.
But considering how quiet the Reds kept news of Diogo Jota’s transfer last year, that does not mean much.
Now that Villa have made an official move for him, the next few days will tell us if Liverpool have an interest.
We assume that the Villains will increase their bid soon. If Liverpool do not make a bid of their own, we can assume that Bailey will not be moving to Anfield.
He would fit in well on Merseyside.
As a left-footed wide man, Bailey might be a good long-term successor to Mohamed Salah.
So, let’s see what happens in the next few days.
One thing that looks a certainty is that we will see him in England next season. The question is at which club.