Union's radar picks up Aston Villa's winger

Al-Ittihad are stepping up their summer transfer business, hunting fresh firepower up front with the registration window about to slam shut.

The newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" revealed that the club's board are weighing up a move for one of Aston Villa's stars to bolster the wing, chasing a player with pace and proven experience on European pitches.

Their target, the report confirmed, is Jamaica's Leon Bailey. The 29-year-old winger built his reputation at Germany's Bayer Leverkusen before joining Villa, and briefly wore the colours of Italy's Roma.

Bailey has turned out 163 times for Aston Villa across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and setting up 25 more.

He isn't the only name on Al-Ittihad's radar. Girona's Colombian winger Yasser Asprilla had earlier appeared on their shortlist of attacking targets before the summer window closes, according to the same source.