According to reports from The Sun, Aston Villa could be a ‘possible destination’ for Southampton forward Charlie Austin this summer.
The 29-year-old joined the Saints in 2016 for a reported fee of £4 million and made over 75 appearances in all competitions, scoring 20 goals.
He has a great scoring record for Burnley and Queens Park Rangers, but somehow Southampton never saw the best of him. He has a wealth of Championship and Premier League experience and Aston Villa could be interested in signing him.
Ralph Hasenhuttl is expected to embark on an overhaul of the Saints squad, and players like Wesley Hoedt, Guido Carrillo, Sofiane Boufal and Jordy Clasie could be sold.
The Saints boss will have to offload a number of players to provide the funds needed for fresh recruitment, and Austin, who is on £70k-per-week wages at the club, could be heading towards the exit door.
Austin started just 11 Premier League games last season as he dropped down the pecking order behind Shane Long and Danny Ings. He is clearly not in Hasenhuttl’s long term plans.
Villa are looking to take a punt on him as Dean Smith badly needs to bolster his strike department in the summer.
The newly promoted Premier League side need to find a suitable replacement for Tammy Abraham, who has returned to Chelsea after his loan spell, and Austin could be a good addition to the squad.
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