Patrick Bamford is said to be "close" to sealing a season-long loan move from Chelsea to Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old had disappointing loan spells at Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Norwich City last term, making just 13 appearances combined, but excelled in the Championship for Middlesbrough in the 2014-15 season, scoring 17 times in 39 appearances.
A host of second-tier sides are believed to have been chasing his signature this summer, including Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers, but recently-relegated Villa are now in pole position to seal the deal.
According to reports on social media, Villa will complete the signing "in the next 48 hours" as they prepare for a late flurry of transfer activity under new owner Dr Tony Xia.
The Birmingham side have so far signed Tommy Elphick, Pierluigi Gollini, Aaron Tshibola and £12m-rated striker Ross McCormack as they bid to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Neil Wilkes
