Exclusive: Aston Villa clearing space on wage bill for marquee signing
Aston Villa are clearing space on their wage bill as they plot a fresh swoop for Bournemouth striker Josh King, Football Insider has learned.
Dean Smith's side are still in the market for a forward signing despite the big-money captures of Ollie Watkins, Bertrand Traore and on-loan Ross Barkley.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Villa are keen to push main rivals West Ham for the signature of King during the domestic window.
The versatile forward's price tag has been slashed after he failed to secure a move during the international window to around £10-12million.
Trading is allowed between top flight and EFL teams over the next eight days until the 16 October cut-off.
As revealed by Football Insider earlier today, Villa are ready to ship out Anwar El Ghazi, Frederic Guilbert and Henri Lansbury by Friday of next week.
Lansbury, 29, is believed to be on more than £40,000-a-week while winger El Ghazi and right-back Guilbert, both 25, earn around the £20,000-a-week mark.
The trio have all dropped down the pecking order of the Midlands giants following another summer of big spending.
King, 28, is still in the sights of Villa after their attempts to prise him from Bournemouth in the middle of last month failed.
They have been given some encouragement as rival suitors West Brom are no longer in the running.
As revealed by Football Insider, the Norway international has "no interest" in a move to the Hawthorns and is holding out for a transfer to a "bigger club".
King is regarded as very likely to leave Bournemouth by the end of next week.
He has scored 48 goals in 161 Premier League appearances, with his 2019-20 campaign yielding six goals and four assists in 26 top-flight games.