According to the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are one of a number of Championship clubs interested in taking Chuba Akpom on loan for the second half of the season.

The England under-21 international worked with Steve Bruce at Hull last season where he appeared to both wow and frustrate his coach in equal measure.

Bruce has guided the Villans up to mid-table since taking over in October but has a number of issues up front, including one striker, Ross McCormack, who skips training because of a dodgy gate and another, Jonathan Kodjia, who is on his way back from the African Cup of Nations.

After an injury-hit start to the season, Akpom could definitely do with regular game time. The striker appeared in the EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest but then suffered a back problem that kept him sidelined for three months.