According to reports in the Hull Daily Mail, Aston Villa have joined Hull City in the race to sign out of favour Leicester City forward Ahmed Musa, who cost the Foxes £16m in the summer of 2016, during the January transfer window.

The Tigers tried to sign the 25-year-old towards the end of the summer window as their boss Leonid Slutsky knows Musa well having managed him during the duo's time with CSKA Moscow, but the attacker decided to stay and try and fight for his place at the King Power Stadium.

However, the Hull Daily Mail now says that after one appearance in all competitions this term – in which he found the net – the Nigeria international, who is valued at £15.3m by transfermarkt.com, is considering his options again, and he could be open to leaving either in January or next summer with Hull and Villa both keen.

Meawnhile, Steve Bruce's side find themselves in sixth position in the Championship standings heading into the busy festive period, and he may look to strengthen his squad in the New Year to ensure they win promotion back to the Premier League this season.

Here are three reasons the Midlands outfit must win the race to sign Musa…

Pedigree

CSKA Moscow's Ahmed Musa (C) celebrates with his team mates after scoring against PSV Eindhoven during their Champions League group B soccer match at the Arena Khimki stadium outside Moscow, Russia, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov  
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With more than 60 caps for Nigeria and 164 appearances (including a number of Champions League outings) for CSKA Moscow prior to his move to Leicester, there is no doubt that the 25-year-old would be a hugely exciting addition for any Championship club.

While things may not have worked out for him at the King Power Stadium so far, the attacker has shown previously that he can perform at the highest level and perhaps he just needs a regular run of games – something he has never really had with the Foxes – in order to show what he can do.

54 goals for the Russian outfit and two against Argentina at the 2014 World Cup prove his finishing ability, and those extra goals could be the difference between Villa securing a spot in the top two or having to settle for a play-off spot at the end of the season.

Pace

Villa look to be a strong Championship side right now, but they still lack a little pace throughout their team and signing Musa would certainly help to solve that issue.

While the likes of Jonathan Kodjia, Robert Snodgrass and Keinan Davis have become key players in recent weeks especially, Steve Bruce's side usually rely on Albert Adomah to provide the speed and direct running in the final third.

However, Musa would certainly give opposition defenders a huge problem with his acceleration and ability to take defenders on and he could help to boost Villa’s goal tally.

Point to prove

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Having failed to make a single Premier League squad this season Musa will certainly have a huge point to prove if he does join another club either on loan or on a permanent basis, once he has regained his match fitness.

The 25-year-old will want to prove that he can be a success in England if he does move to a Championship side like Aston Villa, and he will also know that he needs to perform to keep his place in the Nigeria squad ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer.

That is something that would benefit Villa, and he could prove to be an unplayable figure for them in the second-half of the campaign.

Do you agree, Villa fans? Let us know below.