Aston Villa are keen on making another approach for Bologna defender Aaron Hickey in the upcoming transfer window.

What's the story?

His emergence onto the scene back in the 2019/2020 campaign saw numerous clubs register their interest in the 19-year-old, with BBC Sport claiming that along with Villa, the likes of Bayern Munich, Bologna and Sheffield Wednesday were all keen on luring him away from Scotland last summer - in the end, it was the Serie A side who won out.

Now, The Birmingham Mail's Ashley Preece has claimed that Hickey once again is of high interest to Dean Smith's side, and that the club are ready to make their approach in the coming weeks.

Perfect for Villa

The versatile defender enjoyed a breakthrough season with Scottish side Hearts in that 2019/2020 season, making 22 appearances in the league, scoring once and providing one assist too.

Able to play anywhere across the back-line at just 19, the £7.2m-rated Hickey has already shown incredible versatility, and it's something Villa could make the most out of.

The man who gave him his first-team debut, Craig Levein, pointed out: "He's got really good defensive qualities but I don't know if he'll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet."

And after he made his debut for Bologna, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, said: "He doesn't speak Italian yet and he has to improve a few things but he's a lad with quality and personality who did well today. Right up to the end I wasn't sure whether to play him, because I had other players who have already started in that role, but I like to take risks."

Given his age and versatility, Hickey could well become a long-term successor to Matt Targett, and fits into the framework of signings that Smith indicated this summer: young, British and with some decent experience already.

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