Aston Villa set sights on Morgan Gibbs-White deal - 'They are ready to spend huge money'

Aston Villa have set their sights on a deal to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White as a direct replacement for Morgan Rogers.

The 26-year-old midfielder has been on Aston Villa's radar in the last few transfer windows, and they are now well-placed to make a move following Rogers' departure.

This comes after Chelsea agreed a fee of £117million to lure the England international away from Villa Park, with Unai Emery aiming to act quickly in his pursuit of a replacement.

Former Aston Villa scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that the club are now ready to spend big money as they aim to reinvest the funds raised through Rogers' sale.

Any move for Gibbs-White would not come cheap, with Nottingham Forest showing in the past they can be tough negotiators, but he features highly on their shortlist.

The allure of Champions League football and the opportunity to take a step up away from the City Ground could be enough to convince Gibbs-White, although Forest could stand firm.

Could Aston Villa make a move for Morgan Gibbs-White?

Football Insider first revealed in February that Aston Villa are eyeing Gibbs-White as their first-choice replacement for Rogers as they braced for interest in their star man.

Despite being reluctant to see him leave, Emery's side have been making plans behind the scenes for his departure, and Chelsea's move could trigger a chain reaction.

Villa are now preparing to test Nottingham Forest's resolve over Gibbs-White, and while they are aware any deal will not be easy, they are keen to get it over the line.

"Aston Villa want to get a replacement for Morgan Rogers in as quickly as they can," Brown told Football Insider.

"They've been prepared for him to move on, we've been speaking about it all summer and it was almost inevitable that one of the interested clubs were going to pay the money.

"Morgan Gibbs-White is the big one, Aston Villa have been keen on him for a long time and now they have the money, they could make a move.

"That money from Rogers' sale can go straight back into the team now, and while it'll be difficult to get a deal done for Gibbs-White, they are going to see what they can do.

"When you look at players who could replace Rogers, you want somebody who can play through the middle as well as out wide, and who has a proven record of scoring goals.

"Gibbs-White ticks all of those boxes, so I would be surprised if Aston Villa didn't try to test Forest's resolve, because they are ready to spend huge money now."

How do Nottingham Forest feel about selling Gibbs-White?

Despite growing interest from Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest are extremely reluctant to lose Gibbs-White this summer and are expected to stand by their stance.

Having already receieved £116million for the sale of Elliot Anderson to Man City, they are not prepared to see another of their most importnat players lured away from the City Ground.

Brown told Football Insider last month that it would take a "huge" fee for Nottingham Forest to even entertain talks about Gibbs-White's future regardless of who is interested.

Aston Villa could now be prepared to test that resolve with the funds they have received for Rogers, as the attacking midfielder is the first name on their list of replacements.

Meanwhile, Gibbs-White has had long-term admirers in Arsenal and Man City, and should they receive any indication he could be available, they are likely to join the race.