Aston Villa have made a late swoop for Swansea City midfielder Leroy Fer in the final hours of the transfer window, according to reports.
The 29-year-old has been made available for transfer by the Welsh side and had been primed for a move to Ligue 1 outfit Lille, but The Sun reports that Villa have entered the race at the last moment with a superior offer.
Villans boss Dean Smith has made securing a new midfielder a top priority before the window shuts as he looks to push on with a promotion charge in the final few months of the campaign.
Fer - formerly of Queens Park Rangers - has been with the Swans since 2016 and has featured 89 times in all competitions for the side, but his high wages mean that the club are keen to offload him.
Villa have already completed the deadline-day signing of Tyrone Mings on loan and are also thought to be close to a deal for French defender Frederic Guilbert.
Neil Wilkes
