Steve Bruce is on the verge of making Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone his first signing at Aston Villa.

Bruce has moved for the former England under-20 international and is set to complete a deal before the January transfer window opens.

Villa are in advanced talks with United over a loan deal and hope to take Johnstone for the remainder of the season after Bruce identified the signing of a new goalkeeper as a priority.

Pierluigi Gollini was signed for £4 million from Hellas Verona in the summer and has recovered from a difficult start under former manager Roberto Di Matteo to impress under Bruce. But the Villa manager is believed to hold concerns over Gollini's lack of Championship experience and his age, while No 2 goalkeeper Mark Bunn has recently been struggling with a knee injury.

Johnstone is highly rated by United and signed a new contract in October but Jose Mourinho is prepared to loan him out for the second half of the campaign.