Norwich and Aston Villa are reportedly battling for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe,

According to a report from The Sun, Norwich City have leapfrogged Aston Villa in the race to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe.

Afobe, 22, came up through the ranks at Arsenal, but having struggled for first team football at the Emirates Stadium, the forward chose to leave permanently in January following a total of six loan moves in his career.

The striker chose to sign for Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, and his decision paid dividends following a remarkable half-season spell at Molineux.

With 13 goals in 21 games for Wolves, Afobe established himself as one of the top strikers in the Championship almost immediately, and is expected to build on that his season.

That’s if he stays at Wolves, though. The Sun report that Aston Villa want to sign Afobe, but are now trailing Norwich City in the race to sign him.

Aston Villa or Norwich?

Should both clubs manage to tempt Wolves into accepting bids for Afobe – which seems unlikely, with the Molineux club under no pressure to sell – the striker would have a big decision to make.

Norwich City need a regular goalscorer in attack if they are to stay in the Premier League, with Cameron Jerome, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper having little to no previous success in the top flight.

Afobe would certainly play on a regular basis for the Canaries, but the lure of playing for Aston Villa may be too big for him to turn down.

Tim Sherwood is still in the market for a new striker even after signing Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede this summer, and Afobe would not only have the chance to play, but the close proximity to Wolverhampton would no doubt factor in too.

Whether it’s now or in the near future, Afobe will be back in the Premier League at some stage – and Wolves will be hoping to fend off interest in him this summer as they seek a return to the top flight this season.

In other news, Crouch sends hilarious message about Tottenham's new signing, Van der Vaart also reacts