Aston Villa 'set sights' on talented Ashley Cole protege as West Ham beat Wolves to £10m target

Aston Villa are plotting a move for Birmingham-born left sided defender Archie Brown, according to reports from the Mirror. Brown is regarded as a rising star in world football and has recently earned a call-up to the England U20 squad ahead of friendlies in Sweden and Ireland in June - the first time he has been recognised by his national side at any level.

The 21-year-old is a product of the Derby County academy, who was released from West Brom early in his career.He made a name for himself with the Rams when he helped them lift the Youth Premier League National final in 2019, in what remains the club’s only title at youth team level. Brown outshone Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka on the day, and was lauded for his performance as he helped his side to a 5-2 win, with the defender being involved in four of Derby's goals.

However, after the big win at youth level, Brown felt his opportunities would be limited to break into the first team at Derby, so aged 18 he left England to join Swiss side Lausanne-Sport. The move coincided with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic but after initially struggling to settle he became a stalwart for the Swiss outfit - earning him a move to one of Belgium’s biggest clubs in Gent last summer.

Brown has been a regular for Gent since arriving and has showcased his skills as both a left sided defender and at times as winger due to his excellent distribution. In an interview with Sky Sports, he told the outlet that he aspires to be like Ashley Cole and claims he was inspired by him during his time in the Derby set-up. 

"I'm throwing it quite far back, but Ashley Cole - he's the standard when you look at English left-backs," Brown said.

"I was fortunate enough to train with him when he was coming to the end of his career at Derby and what stood out to me the most was his approach to the game. I saw his ability to laugh and joke in the changing room, but when he stepped on the training pitch or a game, it's like a switch flicks and he's able to get into that zone."

As it stands, the Mirror understands that Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have made enquiries about Brown, who is valued at around £17m. Europa League qualifiers Lyon, meanwhile, are among the overseas clubs interested in Brown and the French side have also made a fresh check on his availability.

West Ham beat Wolves to £10.2m target

West Ham are reported to have finalised a transfer deal to bring Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno to the London Stadium. Wolves were credited with interest in the young defender, but appear to have missed out on the 28-year-old with Fabrizio Romano claiming that the deal will be finalised within ‘the next hours.’

Bruno has been with Flamengo since 2022 having come through the Cruzeiro academy in his home country. His form over the last two seasons has been particularly solid which has earned him two caps this year for Brazil’s senior squad. The news of Bruno’s arrival comes following reports of Loptegui potentially targeting Max Kilman from his former club Wolves and could put to bed any speculation surrounding their club captain.