Villa turn to Championship rival for new No.1 goalkeeper

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has his eyes on Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Alex Smithies next month as he looks to sign a new No.1 man between the sticks, reports The Daily Mirror.

The Villa boss is keen to sign a new goalkeeper when the January transfer window opens despite the fact the Championship outfit only signed Pierluigi Gollini for the same role over the summer.

Gollini, 21, who came through Manchester United’s youth academy, joined the club over the summer when Roberto Di Matteo was in charge but has underwhelmed despite turning down reported interest from Juventus and Napoli to join the Villains.

Mark Bunn has since started in each of Villa’s last two matches, which would signal the end of Gallini’s time as Villa’s No1, with Bruce having identified that position as a priority in January.

Smithies, 26, will reportedly cost Villa £4m as QPR look to ward off interest from a Championship rival. Since the start of the season only two players have committed more errors that have directly led to an opposition goal in the Championship than Smithies (4).

For more stats on Alex Smithies, click here to visit his WhoScored player page