As well as Joel Ordonez: Aston Villa expected to 'accelerate' bargain late move for £12.5m defender

Aston Villa have already begun looking for defensive reinforcements after selling Ezri Konsa to Arsenal.

Fikayo Tomori has emerged as another option for Unai Emery, with the former Chelsea academy graduate now available at a potentially bargain price.

Villa are also in talks over Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, but they may need more than one centre-back before the window closes.

Aston Villa pushing to sign Fikayo Tomori in late summer deal

The Midlands outfit have been in contact with Tomori's representatives in recent days as they explore a potential move from AC Milan.

The 27-year-old is no longer part of Ruben Amorim's plans at the Serie A club, with Milan understood to be open to selling him before the transfer window closes.

According to reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), Villa's embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion could prompt them to accelerate their interest and make a formal approach this week.

Milan are reportedly valuing Tomori at around €15 million (£12.5 million), with his contract running until 2027. That makes him an affordable option for Villa after losing Konsa for £51 million.

Tomori has previously attracted interest from Coventry City but was not keen on that move. A return to England with Villa is understood to be considerably more appealing.

What other business could Villa do before deadline day?

Tomori could make sense, particularly as Villa are already exploring a deal for Club Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez.

After losing Konsa, adding two defenders would give Emery the depth he needs to deal with a long season, particularly after Villa's success in Europe.

But the defensive rebuild is only part of the problem.

Villa have also lost Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne this summer, leaving significant holes elsewhere in the squad.

The midfield looks particularly short of depth, while Ollie Watkins' future remains unresolved amid strong interest from Al-Hilal.

If Watkins leaves, Villa would suddenly need another striker as well, making this one of the most important periods of Emery's rebuild.

Tomori therefore looks like an attractive piece of business at £12.5 million, but Villa need to ensure a cheap signing does not distract from the wider gaps developing throughout the squad heading into the final week of the summer transfer window.