Man City target Danny Ings joins Aston Villa from Southampton

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 4 Aug 2021 19:22 BST
• 3 min read

Aston Villa are set to sign Southampton striker Danny Ings, as Dean Smith continues his impressive recruitment this summer.

Captain Jack Grealish is expected to join Manchester City in the coming days for £100 million, but a large portion of that has already been spent on the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey, with Ings now poised to move to Villa Park too.

Ings previously rejected a new deal with Southampton that would have seen him become the highest-paid player in the club's history.

The Athletic reported laast month that Ings officially rejected the offer in the hopes of earning a move away to potentially play for a more elite side.

The English striker has 12 months left on his current deal which means that if Southampton hope to get a transfer fee it will likely be this summer in which he needs to be sold.

Reports indicate the fee for Ings could be as much as £30m.

Who else was interested in Ings?

As Ings was thought to be available at a knockdown price due to the length remaining on his contract, a host of Premier League sides had been credited with an interest in him.

The club that previously held the most concrete interest were Manchester City, who are looking for a replacement for Sergio Aguero who left for Barcelona this summer.

City are also targeting Erling Haaland and Harry Kane but viewed Ings as a cheaper alternative.

He was also mentioned as a potential replacement for another star striker, as Tottenham wanted him to fill Kane's shoes should the England striker complete a huge switch to Man City or Manchester United.

The Red Devils were also rumoured for a potential transfer, but they focused on strengthening other areas within their squad.