Dean Smith has Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause and Bjorn Engels at centre-back but may need a replacement for the latter if reported interest from Belgian clubs results in him leaving Aston Villa this month.
Celtic’s Jack Hendry could be on Villa’s radar, but Sampiy10 claimed (via Sport Witness) that Galatasaray’s Christian Luyindama is of interest. The 27-year-old may be granted a departure from Istanbul if his asking price is met, but Everton’s pursuit of the centre-back might be a stumbling block for the Claret and Blues.
It will take an offer of €10m (£8.9m) for Galatasaray to part company with the DR Congo international, but whether or not Villa make a move might depend on what happens to Engels.
Club legend Gabby Agbonlahor has been critical of the 26-year-old, saying that “the problem with Engels is that if he’s left one-on-one he hasn’t got that pace so he’s going to get found out a bit” in the Premier League.
However, it remains to be seen whether that will happen, as Smith has played down the possibility of January departures and only has two weeks left to bring in players that he wants.
Luyindama is a regular for Galatasaray, making 17 appearances across the board this season while helping to keep seven clean sheets, but he would be allowed to leave as his club need to generate transfer funds.
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It’s hard to see Villa signing Luyindama before the January transfer window concludes.
Smith only needs a centre-back if Engels leaves and nothing has happened regarding the 26-year-old this month, so are the Villans really that desperate to swap defenders in the remaining two weeks? It seems unlikely.
