Aston Villa favourites to sign Brentford's Scott Hogan after West Ham pull out

Villa are in talks with the Bees to sign the 24-year-old on Deadline Day.

Barring any last minute change of heart, Hammers boss Slaven Bilic has decided he does not need Hogan at the moment.

Andre Ayew will soon return from the Africa Cup of Nations, where he has helped Ghana progress to the semi-finals of the competition, while Diafra Sakho is on his way back from injury.

The decision not to proceed has been taken by Bilic, despite the West Ham board being happy to sign Hogan - who is valued at £15m - if the manager wanted him.

 

With Villa moving to the top of the list to land Hogan, Crystal Palace and West Brom have also held talks about signing the former Rochdale striker.

The 24-year-old has said he only wants to move to a Premier League club and the London Stadium was believed to be his preferred destination.