Brentford winger Said Benrahma was Aston Villa’s top target in the summer, but the newly-promoted Premier League outfit refused to match his valuation.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith signed the Algerian when he was boss at Brentford and was keen to get his hands on him again at Villa Park.
He scored ten Championship goals last season and Smith is confident that the 24-year-old has the ability to do well in the top tier of English football as well.
According to The Athletic, the Aston Villa manager identified Benrahma as one of his top targets ahead of his side’s return to the Premier League.
But Aston Villa were put off by Brentford’s valuation of the player and refused to meet the Bees' asking price, despite the player being a key target.
Neal Maupay was also on their radar but the price was again not right for Aston Villa and he eventually joined Brighton in the summer.
Aston Villa still spent considerable money to bring in 12 new players to strengthen the squad for the challenges of the Premier League.
They spent a club-record fee of €25m to sign striker Wesley from Club Brugge during the summer transfer window.
