Aston Villa among trio hoping to land Burnley striker Wood
Aston Villa are joined by two other Premier League sides in the hunt for Burnley’s Chris Wood, according to reports.
The New Zealander has managed double figures in each of his last four Premier League seasons with the Clarets.
His best form came in 2019/20, when he registered 14 goals in 32 games as Burnley finished 10th.
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According to The Mirror, Villa boss Dean Smith has placed Wood on his transfer ‘wish list’ to bolster his attack.
His interest is matched by West Ham, who recently achieved Europa League qualification, as well as Everton.
The three teams look set for a bidding war this summer to try and prize the 29-year-old away from Turf Moor.
The report states that Smith wants the player to compete with Ollie Watkins up front. Watkins recently bagged 14 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, but it seems the manager wants a more direct backup option.
West Ham, meanwhile, are still looking for a new striker to lessen the burden on Michail Antonio. Wood is viewed as the perfect solution by Hammers chiefs.
Everton remain managerless following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, but that isn’t stopping their summer transfer search.
The report claims they are interested in the striker and are waiting to see if their new boss is keen to bring him in before launching a bid.
One sticking point for any potential move will be Burnley’s willingness to sell.
Sean Dyche is a huge fan of Wood and won’t want to lose one of his most important players.
The striker’s goals have helped to make Burnley a top flight regular in recent years, so losing him would be a big blow.
His exact price tag is currently unknown. However, Burnley reportedly want more than the £25million they received from Everton for Michael Keane in 2017.
This isn’t the first time Wood has been linked with a move away from Lancashire.
Lazio were thought to be planning a surprise bid last summer but never acted on their interest.
Wood has scored 50 goals in 144 appearances since joining Burnley from Leeds.
His best performance in the most recent campaign was against Wolves in April. The player bagged a hat-trick as the Clarets eased to a 4-0 victory away from home.
