Aston Villa are keen on Barnsley pair James Bree and Conor Hourihane, but face a fight to land the pair as several other big clubs are interested.
Steve Bruce is eyeing boosting his squad at Villa Park and, according to the BBC, has zeroed in on both Bree and Hourihane as potential additions.
Right-back Bree has been linked with being of interest to a clutch of Premier League clubs, while midfielder Hourihane reportedly has Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers on his tail, making life even more complicated for Aston Villa.
Bree and Hourihane are out of contract in the summer, something which makes the pair even more attractive.
It is unclear whether Villa will try to buy the pair this month, lodging bids in an attempt to steal a march on their rivals.
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Aston Villa are also keen on Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury, in what promises to be an active winter transfer window for the club.
Bruce currently has Villa sitting in 12th spot in the Championship standings, but with just 25 games gone, they are only seven points off the playoff places, making the current transfer window potentially pivotal for their fortunes for the remainder of the campaign.
