Aston Villa preparing £30m bid for Bayer Leverkusen's Leon Bailey

Aston Villa are lining up a £30m bid for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey as they look to continue their summer spending.

Dean Smith is keen to add to his attacking options this summer, with the club-record signing of former Norwich talisman Emi Buendia already confirmed.

It remains unclear whether Smith is trying to build on his side's decent 11th-place Premier League finish last season, or whether he's preparing for life with Jack Grealish who is understood to be a £100m target for champions Manchester City.

Either way, talented youngster Bailey has been pinpointed as a summer target, with the Daily Mail reporting Villa are readying a bid of between £25m and £30m.

Bailey has consistently been one of Leverkusen's top performers since joining from Genk in 2017, though the 2020/21 campaign saw him enjoy his best season to date as he notched 15 goals and 11 assists in 40 outings.

A number of Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest in the Jamaica international in recent times, with Manchester United and Everton in particular touted as potential suitors.

Despite Villa's admiration for Bailey, the winger still has two years remaining on his contract with Leverkusen and so they're by no means under any pressure to cash in on one of their prized assets.

Should Smith manage to thrash out a deal it'll represent a major coup as he continues to bolster his squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Along with Buendia, Villa have also secured the signing of former fans' favourite Ashley Young, while they're also said to be monitoring Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks.

With so many potential arrivals on the horizon there are expected to be some departures in the coming weeks, with the club reportedly open to offers for Anwar El Ghazi.

The Dutchman is attracting interest from Italy and isn't expected to be a Villa player come the start of the 2021/22 campaign.