Aston Villa are lining-up a £4 million move for Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Alex Smithies, according to The Mirror.
The news comes as yet another twist in Aston Villa’s hunt for a goalkeeper as Steve Bruce wants to discover who will be his number one. Pierluigi Gollini, signed from Hellas Verona in the summer, has been first-choice at Villa Park since arriving but performances have been inconsistent.
With Jed Steer suffering a long-term injury, Gollini and Mark Bunn are the only seasoned professionals at the club and Bruce will need extra power behind goal for a successful season in the Championship. 19-year-old academy stopper Matija Sarkic has previously had to be named on the bench. Just last week it seemed Villa were set to sign Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a loan deal before Premier League Stoke City looked to hijack the deal.
The 21-year-old Gollini is heavily linked with a move to Inter Milan which would cause the West Midlands club even more headaches as the Italy U21 international has made 20 appearances this season.
It now seems Bruce would entertain a move for highly-rated Smithies who joined QPR from Huddersfield Town last year. The 26-year-old has been ever-present for the Rs, accumulating 22 appearances this term. Smithies, who is capped at England U19 level, made his debut for his boyhood club Huddersfield aged just 17 and went on to establish himself at the Terriers- winning promotion to the Championship in 2012. Aston Villa were linked with a £1.5 million move for Smithies is 2011 after Gerard Houllier expressed his admiration of the goalkeeper.
Alex Smithies would provide Villa with consistency and professionalism which comes from nearly 300 professional appearances, nearly 100 more than Mark Bunn despite being six years younger.
