Young striker Wilson attracts January interest

Young Aston Villa striker Rory Wilson is attracting European interest this month.

The forward, who turned 20 on Monday, is expected to go out on loan to continue his development.

Clubs in the EFL are also keen on taking the Scotland Under-21 striker but if a move does not happen, he will continue at Villa, where he has been training with Unai Emery's senior squad on a regular basis.

However, a loan is seen as the next step for a player who joined Villa at 16 in 2022 from Rangers for £350,000 and signed his first professional contract six months later. He is yet to make a senior appearance for the club.

After protracted contract talks, last April Villa made him one of the highest earners in the academy when he signed a new deal, fending off interest from clubs including Bayer Leverkusen.

Former president of football operations Monchi, who left in September, and head of football operations Damian Vidagany oversaw the contract talks.

Vidagany has also held a constant interest in his development while Roberto Olabe, who replaced Monchi, has been impressed and views Wilson as a late developer like Ollie Watkins.

That contract came after he scored 46 goals in 52 games for club and country in 2023-24 while he also scored Villa's first ever goal in the Uefa Youth League against Young Boys.

An ankle injury kept him out for the majority of last year but he returned in September and a hat-trick against Skenderbeu in the Uefa Youth League followed in November.

Now a two-time Scotland Under-21 international, Wilson has seven goals in 11 games this season.