Aston Villa appear to be closing in on their first signing of the summer transfer window and it's sure to excite much of the fanbase in the west Midlands.

What's the word?

According to Kosovan journalist Arlind Sadiku, Werder Bremen forward Milot Rashica will leave the Bundesliga outfit before the end of next week and Dean Smith's side are front of the queue to land him.

Villa are set to beat off local rivals Wolves as well as AS Monaco for the 24-year-old's signature.

Meanwhile, Weser Kurier have previously claimed that just €25m (£22.5m) will be enough to secure his transfer, so maybe that's been met by Villa.

Ice-cold star

Smith would certainly be getting an upgrade to his attacking armoury if he does indeed manage to clinch the Kosovan international.

The 24-year-old has impressed in Bundesliga this season, providing 11 goals and five assists across all domestic competitions, via WhoScored. He's predominantly been played on the left-wing but can also feature as a number nine.

This could mean that Villa skipper Jack Grealish is pushed back into central midfield, where his creativity would undoubtedly flourish.

Rashica has been likened to former Arsenal talisman Alexis Sanchez - of old rather than new - due to his ability to play across the front three and being an ice-cold finisher who can win games on his own.

Having averaged 2.6 shots, 2 dribbles and 1.4 key passes this season, it's easy to see why he's been compared to the Inter Milan star.

His teammate at Bremen, Theo Gebre Selassie, believes he's "one of the best players in the Bundesliga" whilst head coach Florian Kohfeldt claims the 5 foot 10 magicians "makes scoring look so easy."

Only six teams scored fewer goals than Villa last season, so it is certainly one area that needs improvements, so a swoop for Rashica at just £22.5m should absolutely be pushed through.

AND in other news, Villa could land perfect Jack Grealish partner in recently-relegated STAR...