'Aston Villa accelerate Fikayo Tomori deal' after Unai Emery green light
Aston Villa are set to step up their attempts to sign AC Milan star Fikayo Tomori in the closing stages of the window, according to their former senior scout.
Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected at Villa Park and also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Blackburn, exclusively told Football Insider that Unai Emery sees the 27-year-old as the "perfect fit" for his defensive unit.
This comes after Football Insider revealed on 22 January that Villa have joined Newcastle in their bid to bring Tomori back to the Premier League this month.
The West Midlands side have been keen to add numbers to their defence this month, and are expected to move quickly following the departure of Diego Carlos.
Tomori has risen to the top of their list of targets as Emery wants to add pace to his back line, while his experience at the top level is also seen as a valuable asset.
Brown revealed that the defender would be open to a return to England, four years after he left Chelsea to further his career in the Serie A.
However, the final decision on his future will rest with AC Milan, where he has recently broken back into the starting XI after the appointment of Sergio Conceicao.
Aston Villa plot late January move to sign Fikayo Tomori
Brown told Football Insider in December that Villa have been looking at signing a “top-class” centre-back amid concerns about their options in defence.
Now, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted that Tomori would be a good fit and is the exact type of player they are looking for.
"They've been looking to sign a centre-back this month," he told Football Insider.
"Whenever I see Villa play, they're well-drilled but there aren't many players in the side, especially at the back, who have real pace.
"Tomori is seen as the perfect option in that regard because he would bring that pace, so I hear Emery would be very much in favour of that move.
"He knows the league as well, which is always a positive, and I think after a few years away in Italy he'd welcome a return to England.
"But they're definitely looking to sign a new centre-back before the window closes.
"It's been an area they've been looking at for a while and now Carlos has left there's going to be even more urgency."
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