Soccer

Aston Villa lining up bids for Brady and Hourihane

Bruce is prepared to go up against Sheffield Wednesday for highly rated Hourihane

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce is said to be interested in signing Ireland international Robbie Brady from Norwich. Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Fri Jan 13 2017 - 14:14

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has revealed the club failed with an ambitious move for Jeff Schlupp as they prepare to rival Sheffield Wednesday for Conor Hourihane.

Leicester winger Schlupp is poised to join Crystal Palace but Villa tried to sign the 24-year-old as Bruce continues to rebuild his squad.

Reports suggest an enquiry has been made for Barnsley’s Hourihane, with Wednesday reportedly making a £1million offer, and Villa are set to launch their own bid for the 25-year-old midfielder.

There is interest in Norwich's Robbie Brady but Villa moved for Schlupp, who has an asking price of around £12million, first.

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Bruce said: “Schlupp, for example, we tried for but unfortunately with the lure of the Premier League and the wages of the Premier League we’ve lost out. But that sort of quality is what we’re looking for.

“If you have a chance to play in the Premier League people want to play there and I can understand that too. It is a big draw that we have up our sleeve, that we are desirable and rightly so.

“It was not just one club, it was three. It’s disappointing but we move on.”

Sky Bet Championship rivals Norwich need to sell before making signings and could sell Republic of Ireland international Brady, with Bruce confirming he would be interested in his former Hull player.

He said: “I’ve signed Robbie. I took him on loan from Man United to Hull, signed him and really liked him. We paid £2.5million back in the day. He’d be a little bit more that that now. If he became available now we might be interested.”

A £3million offer for Nottingham Forest captain Henri Lansbury remains on the table with the deal in limbo because of a delay in the takeover at the City Ground.

The midfielder is out of contract in the summer and Bruce would be prepared to wait until pre-season if the transfer drags on.

“I would. At the end of the day he is out of contract and we would like him now,” he added. “But it becomes even more desirable in the summer, of course.”

Goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, who joined from Hellas Verona in the summer, is also expected to join Atalanta on an 18-month loan.

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