Aston Villa are looking to sign RC Strasbourg Alsace forward Stéphane Bahoken on a loan deal this month. According to recent reports in the French media, the Villans are interested in securing the services of the French striker on a temporary basis in the ongoing January transfer window. The 25-year-old has been playing for Strasbourg since joining them in the summer of 2014 from OGC Nice. He has a wealth of experience in Ligue 1 and has made 49 appearances for his current club, scoring 11 goals and making 4 assists during that time.
Villa are willing to recruit him on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign. However, to make things complicated, the player’s contract with Strasbourg runs out in June and then he will become a free agent next summer. It is believed that his contract situation is definitely going to complicate things so Bahoken could wait until his contract runs out at the end of the season before making a potential switch to Villa Park or somewhere else in the summer.
Villa boss Steve Bruce is reportedly in the transfer market to bolster his attacking options following injuries to several of his key players this season. It is also being reported that the Villans are interested in Leicester City forward Leonardo Ulloa as well.
Aston Villa are currently in fifth place in the English Championship table and are well in contention to secure a playoff spot this season. Steve Bruce’s men have gathered a total tally of 47 points in 27 league matches which sees them sit just four points above fifth-placed Sheffield United and six points away from second-placed Derby County, who occupy an automatic promotion spot in second place. The Villans supporters are likely to dream big and hope that their team can push on to secure a second-place finish in his campaign. However, a playoff spot would be a more realistic target with matches coming thick and fast in this juncture of the season.
The potential addition of a new striker will definitely boost their attacking options with first-team strikers Scott Hogan, Keinan Davis and Gabriel Agbonlahor all struggling to display a consistent run of form this term. The trio has scored just 9 goals in between them which is a cause for concern. They are in need of a new frontman to help them in their quest to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen whether the West Midlands club are successful in their attempts to sign Bahoken who has scored 4 goals in 14 appearances for the Ligue 1 side in all competitions.
