Aston Villa are expected to provide their manager, Unai Emery, with a new striker in the January transfer window, according to journalist Dan Bardell.

What's the latest?

There are strong reports suggesting the Villains could be set to lose their striker Danny Ings this month with a lot of interest in the 30-year-old coming from numerous clubs across the Premier League.

It is believed Everton, Southampton and Bournemouth have all expressed an interest in the Englishman amid the winter market as all look to bolster their fight for survival.

And with the reports suggesting Villa could be set to allow Ings to leave this month, Bardell has told Sky Sports News that he expects the Villa owners to provide Emery with a new goalscorer as well as potentially keeping hold of Ings:

(14:50) "Danny Ings is a reliable Premier League goalscorer. I think he's scored six goals for Villa this season. He came on and scored last night [Wednesday] against Wolves. But I think the key thing here is Villa are playing with two upfront at the moment. Villa are in the market for a striker themselves, I believe."

One Ings one out?

It is slightly odd to hear the suggestions that Villa would not stand in Ings' way if an offer was to arrive this month to see him signed permanently by another Premier League side.

The Englishman has not been the flavour of the month under Emery with the striker making just one league start under the Spaniard since his arrival at Villa Park.

However, his form under Emery has been pretty impressive with three goals in his five appearances in the Premier League with the 51-year-old on the sideline.

And given he has only made one league start under Emery, Ings has returned three goals in just 130 minutes of Premier League action, securing him a stunning record of a goal every 43 minutes.

In comparison, Ollie Watkins has only provided Villa with three league goals across the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign in which he has started 16 games (via Transfermarkt).

Under Emery, Watkins has provided a healthy return of two goals and two assists in more minutes than Ings but it is still slightly odd to see Ings outcasted when Emery is playing with a two-man strikeforce.

Nevertheless, whether Villa fans want Ings to leave or not, it will surely provide them with some reassurance that someone will be brought in over January as a potential replacement.

Given Cameron Archer has also been loaned out to Middlesbrough, perhaps Villa could do with more than one new striker if they are also to lose Ings.